Sophia Sophia Sophia Sophia
Sophia Sophia Sophia
Count me down it's getting near
Cos tomorrow he'll be here
Amplify it
Don't know what i'm going to wear
Don't know how to do my hair
But oh he'll like it
Riding on the back of his Vespa
Knowing it dont get any better
I just hear his voice and I get weaker
Everytime we touch its Dolce Vita
Because he's coming and it don't matter when (Sophia)
Because he's coming and it don't matter when
He's got me feeling like Sophia Loren (Sophia)
When he calls my name in Italiano
Because he's coming and it don't matter when (Sophia)
Because he's coming and it don't matter when
He's got me feeling like Sophia Loren (Sophia)
When he calls my name in Italiano
Sophia Sophia Sophia Sophia
Sophia Sophia
Calls my name in Italiano
In a villa on the coast
In the summer getting close
Just me and you
Meeting up in the cafe
Where we dream the day away
And the nights too
Riding on the back of his Vespa
Knowing it dont get any better
One look in his eyes i'm falling deeper
Spinning in a world of Dolce Vita
Because he's coming and it don't matter when (Sophia)
Because he's coming and it don't matter when
He's got me feeling like Sophia Loren (Sophia)
When he calls my name in Italiano
Because he's coming and it don't matter when (Sophia)
Because he's coming and it don't matter when
He's got me feeling like Sophia Loren (Sophia)
When he calls my name in Italiano
Disco Disco Italiano
Disco Disco Italiano
Disco Disco Italiano
Let's go let's go Italiano
Friday, April 30, 2010
‘I’m a product of my generation’ – an interview with Sophie Ellis-Bextor
A really good interview from InsideNokia
ORIGINAL POST- http://www.insidenokiamusic.com/2010/04/time-and-timelessness-an-interview-with-sophie-ellis-bextor/
‘How cool is that?!’ exclaims Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a mix of excitement and disbelief in her voice, even though she’s heard the story before. I’ve managed to get 20 minutes of telephone time with the singer during the hectic publicity schedule preceding the launch of her new single, Bittersweet, on May 3rd, and we’re talking technology. Specifically, the fact that Groovejet, the single which catapulted her into the public consciousness in the summer of 2000, was the first track ever played on an iPod, on a prototype in Apple’s labs. ‘I love that story! Can you tell your friends that I don’t think enough people know about that.’ She laughs, an infectious sound somewhere between a giggle and a chuckle. ‘I think that’s really cool,’ she adds. A self-confessed gadget fan, she’s just bought her first Apple iPhone and is enthusiastically praising it when I mention that I write for the Nokia Music blog. ‘You know what, I’ve kept my Nokia, don’t worry,’ she playfully reassures me. ‘I’ve been using Nokias since I was 18, so there you go. 13 years of Nokia use.’
It’s also been 13 years since Sophie Ellis-Bextor first appeared in the charts, singing with Theaudience. That single, I Got The Wherewithal, and the subsequent self-titled album, didn’t make the impact the band was expecting. ‘Theaudience was very hyped when we first got together and then nothing really happened, so it was over before it began,’ she recalls. ‘No-one really knew about Theaudience. It was a wonderful time for me and a very steep learning curve, but I was aware that we didn’t really break out of music industry circles and the Camden scene.’ While it might not have been the success that Ellis-Bextor and her three bandmates had imagined, the then-18-year-old was able to learn from the experience. ‘That stood me in really good stead, so I can always take everything else with a pinch of salt. That’s meant I’ve kind of kept part of myself back, I suppose.’
Leaving Theaudience in 1999 to pursue a solo career, Ellis-Bextor was asked to lend her distinctive voice to a dance track by the Italian DJ, Spiller. Spiller’s label wanted to add a vocal to a track he had produced called Groovejet in order to make it more attractive for play on the radio. And the rest, as they say, is history. The track dropped in the August of 2000 and became an instant hit; Melody Maker would later name Groovejet its single of the year. Looking back on that time, 10 years ago this summer, Ellis-Baxter is reflective. I ask her what advice she would give her younger self, if she were able. ‘Well, I don’t know if I’d want to listen,’ is the immediate response, typical of her ready sense of humour. ‘I think I would say that success isn’t really like an upward, steady diagonal line going up on a graph. It’s more like a rollercoaster, there are peaks and troughs and you’ve just got to ride it out. You’re only as good as your last record, so I’d probably tell myself just to enjoy the journey.’ Her enthusiasm for creating music hasn’t dimmed and she’s enjoying her career still. ‘I don’t think I realised until it was happening, really, just how lucky I was to be doing what I do. Especially this year, with it being 10 years and everything, that’s pretty exciting and I still love it just as much.’
One thing that’s apparent when listening to Bittersweet, the new single, next to Ellis-Bextor’s older material, is how she avoids sounding of a time; in essence, that her music doesn’t seem to date. Bittersweet, with its ‘80s electro overtones (the synth intro particularly calls to mind Always On My Mind by The Pet Shop Boys), could have been released any time in the last 30 years. ‘It’s really hard for me to be objective, but all I would say is, I’m a bit like that with everything really,’ explains Ellis-Bextor. ‘I don’t know if I’m ever really someone who’s been good at predicting trends, I just know what I like and I stick to it, really. I’m quite a creature of habit but also I’m incredibly passionate about the things that I do like as well. It’s funny, it means that the songs I liked when I was four I still really like now. I’ve got clothes in my wardrobe that I bought when I was 18, and I still wear the same kind of thing.’ It’s a philosophy that has stood Ellis-Bextor in good stead. ‘With this kind of job, you have to play to your strengths and I think quite early on I realised, “I don’t really want to have to re-invent my style.” I experimented with blonde hair and that kind of stuff, but actually I love the things I love. Hopefully I evolve a little bit, and I know that I work with some of the best people around to keep things current and exciting.’ At the risk of sounding like I’m interviewing her for a job, I ask what she thinks those strengths are. ‘Golly,’ she says, and goes quiet for a second or two. ‘I’m too British to be able to answer that very well,’ she says laughingly. ‘I’m not very good at that normally. I do think my voice does suit an electro sound and disco, though having said that, after this album I might try something quite different to push myself.’
The album she is referring to is her fourth solo project, entitled Straight From The Heart, and is pencilled in for an August release. While it sticks to Ellis-Bextor’s tried-and-tested recipe, it does introduce a new, slightly harder edge. ‘The album’s quite dancey, electro, upbeat and positive, but some of the sounds have got a slightly tougher sound. There’s a couple of ballads,’ she adds, before correcting herself. ‘Well, mid-tempo things,’ she clarifies. I point out that she’s probably the last person to be recording heart-rending weepies; they don’t seem to suit her. ‘Well, they do a bit. I did a song once called Today The Sun’s On Us, which I really love, but with this record, because some of the songs written early on were very dancey, it sort of set the scene. Actually it was nice to be very specific about what kind of record I wanted to make this time. I’m usually more like “I want to try a bit of this and now try a bit of that.” This time I was a lot more focused.’ Ellis-Bextor also recruited a roster of superstar producers to work on the album with her, including man of the moment, Calvin Harris, who she describes as a ‘super-talented and a very funny man,’ adding ‘I felt really spoilt.’ In fact, it says much about her grounded nature that most of Ellis-Bextor’s ambitions – though she’d never use the word – revolve around collaborating with the dance and pop artists that she’s a personal fan of. Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx are two she picks out, before declaring herself a fan of Florence And The Machine and La Roux as well. ‘There are all these fantastic dance acts and I love their sound,’ she says, noting without any hint of pretension ‘that it would be fun.’
Ellis-Bextor sums up her ease with her professional life in one line. ‘I’ve come to like the fact that I never know what’s around the corner, so I don’t make many plans.’ No career plans? ‘Just to do what I’m doing is fine. I don’t really have what you could call a career structure. I don’t think it would work very well if I did, anyway,’ she says, self-effacingly. I suggest this is, perhaps, good advice for younger artists, some of whom seem to get swallowed by the pressure that’s piled on them by others and themselves. ‘Yeah, but you know what? I think it’s also that I’m a product of my generation. When I was a teenager everything was very much about music and music culture, reading Melody Maker and NME and going to gigs. The teenage fixation was music-centred. So everybody at my school, if you’d said, “What’s your favourite kind of music?” they’d have an answer. Whereas now, if you’re a teenager it’s much more about fame and celebrity, and all the magazines they read are celebrity-based, so I think the topic of conversation has switched. I don’t think they’re necessarily to blame for that, I think it’s something that’s part of everyday life now. You see a lot of young artists now where they say, “Oh, actually, no I don’t want this, I’m going to do this for two records and then I’m going to do something completely different.” I think it’s almost a way of protecting yourself from wanting it, admitting you want it.’ She stops to consider her words. ‘That sounds really patronising, I don’t mean it. But you come to realise what it is you want out of life anyway, and you’re either going to want to keep making records or you’re going to do something else. Everything finds its place in the world, I think.’ Would she have wanted to release her first album in this kind of atmosphere? ‘Sure, why not?’ she responds lightly. ‘That’s what may be the difference in me. When I got to 19, 20, and all my friends went off to uni, some of them kept up with the music thing and for a lot of them they moved onto other fashions. But for me, it stayed exactly as intense, so I think I was destined to feel that way about music. And all that being said, there are some brilliant artists coming out now anyway, so I’m really encouraged and inspired by what’s going on in the charts.’
Given Ellis-Bextor’s thoughts about our celebrity-obsessed culture and her stated love for all things timeless, I ask her if she thinks she was born 20 or 30 years too late. ‘I don’t know about that, because I love a lot of contemporary sounds. With Bittersweet I was working with Freemasons and Calvin Harris, who sound so phenomenal. I think I’d miss that if I had to leave it.’ But her musical influences are rooted firmly in the ‘70s and ‘80s. ‘I was born in ‘79 so I was listening to Squeeze, Elvis Costello, The Pet Shop Boys, Prince, Bowie and Madonna, and all that’s been hugely influential. I’m still just as likely to put on something like that now. In many ways I never really left it behind. There are things like the harmonies from The Beach Boys, I love their way their voices sound all together. Seventies music I like, proper disco music where it’s all live musicians, fantastic drumming, really funky guitar and disco bass. I love all that, Giorgio Moroder, Candi Staton. It’s just so authentic, you can’t knock it, it’s got real soul.’ That Ellis-Bextor is as big a fan of music as she is a passionate creator of it, is testament to the fact that she’s avoided diva-hood and retained much of what makes her so appealing to her fans and the public alike. She might try and keep part of herself back when it comes to the music industry, but she seems more approachable, more accessible than a lot of similarly-successful artists. ‘I do feel pretty comfortable in my skin and the more time’s gone on I don’t feel like anyone’s questioning my motives. I do what I do. I’m a massive fan of pop music so I try and do the best I can. I suppose I haven’t ever felt victimised by what I do. I’ve managed to keep my private life quite private, so haven’t experienced people being nasty to me. I suppose I don’t feel like I’ve got anything to worry about. Why wouldn’t I be nice?’
You can download the single Bittersweet from Nokia Music Store on May 3rd.
ORIGINAL POST- http://www.insidenokiamusic.com/2010/04/time-and-timelessness-an-interview-with-sophie-ellis-bextor/
‘How cool is that?!’ exclaims Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a mix of excitement and disbelief in her voice, even though she’s heard the story before. I’ve managed to get 20 minutes of telephone time with the singer during the hectic publicity schedule preceding the launch of her new single, Bittersweet, on May 3rd, and we’re talking technology. Specifically, the fact that Groovejet, the single which catapulted her into the public consciousness in the summer of 2000, was the first track ever played on an iPod, on a prototype in Apple’s labs. ‘I love that story! Can you tell your friends that I don’t think enough people know about that.’ She laughs, an infectious sound somewhere between a giggle and a chuckle. ‘I think that’s really cool,’ she adds. A self-confessed gadget fan, she’s just bought her first Apple iPhone and is enthusiastically praising it when I mention that I write for the Nokia Music blog. ‘You know what, I’ve kept my Nokia, don’t worry,’ she playfully reassures me. ‘I’ve been using Nokias since I was 18, so there you go. 13 years of Nokia use.’
It’s also been 13 years since Sophie Ellis-Bextor first appeared in the charts, singing with Theaudience. That single, I Got The Wherewithal, and the subsequent self-titled album, didn’t make the impact the band was expecting. ‘Theaudience was very hyped when we first got together and then nothing really happened, so it was over before it began,’ she recalls. ‘No-one really knew about Theaudience. It was a wonderful time for me and a very steep learning curve, but I was aware that we didn’t really break out of music industry circles and the Camden scene.’ While it might not have been the success that Ellis-Bextor and her three bandmates had imagined, the then-18-year-old was able to learn from the experience. ‘That stood me in really good stead, so I can always take everything else with a pinch of salt. That’s meant I’ve kind of kept part of myself back, I suppose.’
Leaving Theaudience in 1999 to pursue a solo career, Ellis-Bextor was asked to lend her distinctive voice to a dance track by the Italian DJ, Spiller. Spiller’s label wanted to add a vocal to a track he had produced called Groovejet in order to make it more attractive for play on the radio. And the rest, as they say, is history. The track dropped in the August of 2000 and became an instant hit; Melody Maker would later name Groovejet its single of the year. Looking back on that time, 10 years ago this summer, Ellis-Baxter is reflective. I ask her what advice she would give her younger self, if she were able. ‘Well, I don’t know if I’d want to listen,’ is the immediate response, typical of her ready sense of humour. ‘I think I would say that success isn’t really like an upward, steady diagonal line going up on a graph. It’s more like a rollercoaster, there are peaks and troughs and you’ve just got to ride it out. You’re only as good as your last record, so I’d probably tell myself just to enjoy the journey.’ Her enthusiasm for creating music hasn’t dimmed and she’s enjoying her career still. ‘I don’t think I realised until it was happening, really, just how lucky I was to be doing what I do. Especially this year, with it being 10 years and everything, that’s pretty exciting and I still love it just as much.’
One thing that’s apparent when listening to Bittersweet, the new single, next to Ellis-Bextor’s older material, is how she avoids sounding of a time; in essence, that her music doesn’t seem to date. Bittersweet, with its ‘80s electro overtones (the synth intro particularly calls to mind Always On My Mind by The Pet Shop Boys), could have been released any time in the last 30 years. ‘It’s really hard for me to be objective, but all I would say is, I’m a bit like that with everything really,’ explains Ellis-Bextor. ‘I don’t know if I’m ever really someone who’s been good at predicting trends, I just know what I like and I stick to it, really. I’m quite a creature of habit but also I’m incredibly passionate about the things that I do like as well. It’s funny, it means that the songs I liked when I was four I still really like now. I’ve got clothes in my wardrobe that I bought when I was 18, and I still wear the same kind of thing.’ It’s a philosophy that has stood Ellis-Bextor in good stead. ‘With this kind of job, you have to play to your strengths and I think quite early on I realised, “I don’t really want to have to re-invent my style.” I experimented with blonde hair and that kind of stuff, but actually I love the things I love. Hopefully I evolve a little bit, and I know that I work with some of the best people around to keep things current and exciting.’ At the risk of sounding like I’m interviewing her for a job, I ask what she thinks those strengths are. ‘Golly,’ she says, and goes quiet for a second or two. ‘I’m too British to be able to answer that very well,’ she says laughingly. ‘I’m not very good at that normally. I do think my voice does suit an electro sound and disco, though having said that, after this album I might try something quite different to push myself.’
The album she is referring to is her fourth solo project, entitled Straight From The Heart, and is pencilled in for an August release. While it sticks to Ellis-Bextor’s tried-and-tested recipe, it does introduce a new, slightly harder edge. ‘The album’s quite dancey, electro, upbeat and positive, but some of the sounds have got a slightly tougher sound. There’s a couple of ballads,’ she adds, before correcting herself. ‘Well, mid-tempo things,’ she clarifies. I point out that she’s probably the last person to be recording heart-rending weepies; they don’t seem to suit her. ‘Well, they do a bit. I did a song once called Today The Sun’s On Us, which I really love, but with this record, because some of the songs written early on were very dancey, it sort of set the scene. Actually it was nice to be very specific about what kind of record I wanted to make this time. I’m usually more like “I want to try a bit of this and now try a bit of that.” This time I was a lot more focused.’ Ellis-Bextor also recruited a roster of superstar producers to work on the album with her, including man of the moment, Calvin Harris, who she describes as a ‘super-talented and a very funny man,’ adding ‘I felt really spoilt.’ In fact, it says much about her grounded nature that most of Ellis-Bextor’s ambitions – though she’d never use the word – revolve around collaborating with the dance and pop artists that she’s a personal fan of. Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx are two she picks out, before declaring herself a fan of Florence And The Machine and La Roux as well. ‘There are all these fantastic dance acts and I love their sound,’ she says, noting without any hint of pretension ‘that it would be fun.’
Ellis-Bextor sums up her ease with her professional life in one line. ‘I’ve come to like the fact that I never know what’s around the corner, so I don’t make many plans.’ No career plans? ‘Just to do what I’m doing is fine. I don’t really have what you could call a career structure. I don’t think it would work very well if I did, anyway,’ she says, self-effacingly. I suggest this is, perhaps, good advice for younger artists, some of whom seem to get swallowed by the pressure that’s piled on them by others and themselves. ‘Yeah, but you know what? I think it’s also that I’m a product of my generation. When I was a teenager everything was very much about music and music culture, reading Melody Maker and NME and going to gigs. The teenage fixation was music-centred. So everybody at my school, if you’d said, “What’s your favourite kind of music?” they’d have an answer. Whereas now, if you’re a teenager it’s much more about fame and celebrity, and all the magazines they read are celebrity-based, so I think the topic of conversation has switched. I don’t think they’re necessarily to blame for that, I think it’s something that’s part of everyday life now. You see a lot of young artists now where they say, “Oh, actually, no I don’t want this, I’m going to do this for two records and then I’m going to do something completely different.” I think it’s almost a way of protecting yourself from wanting it, admitting you want it.’ She stops to consider her words. ‘That sounds really patronising, I don’t mean it. But you come to realise what it is you want out of life anyway, and you’re either going to want to keep making records or you’re going to do something else. Everything finds its place in the world, I think.’ Would she have wanted to release her first album in this kind of atmosphere? ‘Sure, why not?’ she responds lightly. ‘That’s what may be the difference in me. When I got to 19, 20, and all my friends went off to uni, some of them kept up with the music thing and for a lot of them they moved onto other fashions. But for me, it stayed exactly as intense, so I think I was destined to feel that way about music. And all that being said, there are some brilliant artists coming out now anyway, so I’m really encouraged and inspired by what’s going on in the charts.’
Given Ellis-Bextor’s thoughts about our celebrity-obsessed culture and her stated love for all things timeless, I ask her if she thinks she was born 20 or 30 years too late. ‘I don’t know about that, because I love a lot of contemporary sounds. With Bittersweet I was working with Freemasons and Calvin Harris, who sound so phenomenal. I think I’d miss that if I had to leave it.’ But her musical influences are rooted firmly in the ‘70s and ‘80s. ‘I was born in ‘79 so I was listening to Squeeze, Elvis Costello, The Pet Shop Boys, Prince, Bowie and Madonna, and all that’s been hugely influential. I’m still just as likely to put on something like that now. In many ways I never really left it behind. There are things like the harmonies from The Beach Boys, I love their way their voices sound all together. Seventies music I like, proper disco music where it’s all live musicians, fantastic drumming, really funky guitar and disco bass. I love all that, Giorgio Moroder, Candi Staton. It’s just so authentic, you can’t knock it, it’s got real soul.’ That Ellis-Bextor is as big a fan of music as she is a passionate creator of it, is testament to the fact that she’s avoided diva-hood and retained much of what makes her so appealing to her fans and the public alike. She might try and keep part of herself back when it comes to the music industry, but she seems more approachable, more accessible than a lot of similarly-successful artists. ‘I do feel pretty comfortable in my skin and the more time’s gone on I don’t feel like anyone’s questioning my motives. I do what I do. I’m a massive fan of pop music so I try and do the best I can. I suppose I haven’t ever felt victimised by what I do. I’ve managed to keep my private life quite private, so haven’t experienced people being nasty to me. I suppose I don’t feel like I’ve got anything to worry about. Why wouldn’t I be nice?’
You can download the single Bittersweet from Nokia Music Store on May 3rd.
Bittersweet CDs have been dispatched
And many people have already received it as well. Sophia Loren sounds immense. "Disco disco Italiano". Check with your mailman guys!
Shame that Sophia Loren isn't on the album. It's so good. Sooooooo good! Cathy sounds brilliant on backing vocals. The song on the whole is very crisp. Very electro. I'm so excited for the whole album right now. So far Bittersweet, Heartbreak, Off & On, Did I, Sophia Loren have all been excellent.
Shame that Sophia Loren isn't on the album. It's so good. Sooooooo good! Cathy sounds brilliant on backing vocals. The song on the whole is very crisp. Very electro. I'm so excited for the whole album right now. So far Bittersweet, Heartbreak, Off & On, Did I, Sophia Loren have all been excellent.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Official catch up - G.A.Y Talk
from seb.net
You've changed the name of the album to Straight To The Heart.
Well, in a lot of ways, people shouldn't really have known about the working title because Make A Scene was one of the first songs I wrote for the record so I had that in my head. When I came to finish the album, the label were asking, "What are you going to call it?" and I hadn't really given it much thought but I had been calling it Make A Scene and they said "we like that" so we stuck with it,. But then I thought I'd quite like the chance to think about it a bit. It was quite cool because I got to use Twitter in it's purest form saying, "right, I'm changing the title". I like the fact that you can have a very direct hotline to fans without having to go through a load of emails and phone calls.
You seem to be back on Twitter recently.
I kind of go in and out of it. I'm starting to think I might use it as a consumer rights sort of thing where I can do little tweets about when I feel I've had good service or bad service. Whether it be restaurant and food related or in shops.
It's nice to feel you can tell a few people how rubbish a company are.
Exactly. That's what I'm thinking I might do. I might say, like for example, Ryanair, you should be able to check in one bag for a family as long as it doesn't exceed the individual baggage allowance when it's all combined. You shouldn't have to go and buy a separate bag to half fill two bags. It's rules for rules' sake and it just drives me insane. They just find any way to make money.
Indeed. So, why Straight To The Heart?
It's a lyric from a song I did for the album. And I think it sits in well with all the other album titles. I'm happy.
How was your gig at The Feeling's festival in Meribel?
That was such a good week. It was like a holiday really, with a little bit of work. Everyone was on very good form and we had loads of great weather. It was really hot actually and I did some skiing which I'm a bit of a new-comer to but I like it.
What do you wear on the slopes? Are you high fashion on the slopes?
I don't think that's possible. I think ski-wear is generally pretty grim. I got some nice stuff from this label, I think they're called Roxy. They're like the female Quicksilver and I just went for very plain stuff really. I did see some quite cute old French women in like all-in-ones with, like, normal belts on top of them. That looked quite cool. And someone had Chanel ski boots. I was quite jealous of those, although she was about seventy.
And the gig went well?
Yeah it was really good. It was exhausting because I was up in the morning skiing and then at night there were loads of gigs. We had at least two things on per night. But there was a really good atmosphere and everyone played really well.
And now you've got G-A-Y coming up?
I have, yeah.
You're an old hand at that.
Yeah, I love it. It's always a good night. They're a good crowd - very loyal.
You must have played G-A-Y as much as anyone?
Probably. I've certainly lost count. I don't do it every single, but most singles.
And you did the Album Chart Show recently.
Yeah, with the band. That was fun. I have been doing a few bits of telly. I did something for GMTV and some MTV stuff. But I think they're all going out "strategically"!
You've changed the name of the album to Straight To The Heart.
Well, in a lot of ways, people shouldn't really have known about the working title because Make A Scene was one of the first songs I wrote for the record so I had that in my head. When I came to finish the album, the label were asking, "What are you going to call it?" and I hadn't really given it much thought but I had been calling it Make A Scene and they said "we like that" so we stuck with it,. But then I thought I'd quite like the chance to think about it a bit. It was quite cool because I got to use Twitter in it's purest form saying, "right, I'm changing the title". I like the fact that you can have a very direct hotline to fans without having to go through a load of emails and phone calls.
You seem to be back on Twitter recently.
I kind of go in and out of it. I'm starting to think I might use it as a consumer rights sort of thing where I can do little tweets about when I feel I've had good service or bad service. Whether it be restaurant and food related or in shops.
It's nice to feel you can tell a few people how rubbish a company are.
Exactly. That's what I'm thinking I might do. I might say, like for example, Ryanair, you should be able to check in one bag for a family as long as it doesn't exceed the individual baggage allowance when it's all combined. You shouldn't have to go and buy a separate bag to half fill two bags. It's rules for rules' sake and it just drives me insane. They just find any way to make money.
Indeed. So, why Straight To The Heart?
It's a lyric from a song I did for the album. And I think it sits in well with all the other album titles. I'm happy.
How was your gig at The Feeling's festival in Meribel?
That was such a good week. It was like a holiday really, with a little bit of work. Everyone was on very good form and we had loads of great weather. It was really hot actually and I did some skiing which I'm a bit of a new-comer to but I like it.
What do you wear on the slopes? Are you high fashion on the slopes?
I don't think that's possible. I think ski-wear is generally pretty grim. I got some nice stuff from this label, I think they're called Roxy. They're like the female Quicksilver and I just went for very plain stuff really. I did see some quite cute old French women in like all-in-ones with, like, normal belts on top of them. That looked quite cool. And someone had Chanel ski boots. I was quite jealous of those, although she was about seventy.
And the gig went well?
Yeah it was really good. It was exhausting because I was up in the morning skiing and then at night there were loads of gigs. We had at least two things on per night. But there was a really good atmosphere and everyone played really well.
And now you've got G-A-Y coming up?
I have, yeah.
You're an old hand at that.
Yeah, I love it. It's always a good night. They're a good crowd - very loyal.
You must have played G-A-Y as much as anyone?
Probably. I've certainly lost count. I don't do it every single, but most singles.
And you did the Album Chart Show recently.
Yeah, with the band. That was fun. I have been doing a few bits of telly. I did something for GMTV and some MTV stuff. But I think they're all going out "strategically"!
Sophie on GMTV with Lorraine
For those who missed it, here you go. There's a tiny interview and a performance of the new single
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SCVGIAG4
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SCVGIAG4
Acoustic performance of Bittersweet
My god, it sounds divine! She should record an acoutic version of this song and release it as an iTunes bonus or something. I like this version so much more than the heavy Freemasons production. Hmmm, come to think of it, i liked the acoustic version of Heartbreak better than the Freemasons production too... Maybe her 5th album should be acoustic-electronica. Like Madonna's American Life album.
Anyway, you can watch the performance here, if you've missed it
(many thanks to Paul)
Anyway, you can watch the performance here, if you've missed it
(many thanks to Paul)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sophie interviewed at "isthisreallife"
It's nice to read a good interview. People keep asking Sophie a lot of the same questions. This one was slightly different.
ORIGINAL POST - http://isthisreallife2.blogspot.com/2010/04/interview-with-sophie-ellis-bextor.html
So most of you will know by now that i have been doing a series of interviews with people connected in some form to the fashion industry.
For this interview i chose Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She is a British singer that makes the most fabulous danceable pop music. Not only known for her music she is recognised as a British style star. She works her own brand of quirky cool, never one to be afraid of standing out from the pack if anything she relishes in it and works it to her advantage. I hope that by reading this interview you find out more about a women who is not only a wonderful mother but a career women too and that you get inspired by her fearlessness and honesty. And remember like Sophie says as long as you are staying true to what you do and what you believe in then it's ok to be a 'Christmas Tree' sometimes because everyones time to shine comes around sooner or later!
Look out for a post full of Sophie's most coveted outfits soon too!
I want to say a massive thanks to Sophie too for agreeing to be interviewed. Her awesome new single 'Bittersweet' is available to download on Sunday 2nd May
1. So, you’re back with your new single Bittersweet. I love the more electro sound of this song but you’ve still kept that pop vibe too, what were your influences when you were making this record?
I guess the biggest influence was the track itself, because that’s what we started with, it started off as an instrumental. I don’t know how melodies come about really, you just try a few noodles and then something sticks. The thing I really liked about the chorus melody is that to me it almost sounds like it could be from a musical. It sounds like it could be in the West End, but maybe that’s just my slightly strange tangent, I don’t know.
2. I always think you have the best titles for your album like ‘Shoot From The Hip’ and Trip The Light Fantastic’ and your new album is called ‘Straight To The Heart’ which is another great title how did you come up with this one, because I saw that you had recently changed it from ‘Make A Scene’?
In a lot of ways nobody should have really known about Make A Scene as that was just a working title, as Scene was one of the first songs written for the record. Straight To The Heart is actually a lyric from another song called Cut Straight To The Heart and I thought it was a really good title for a pop record because that’s what pop music does I think, it’s very emotional and instinctive. I think out of all my titles though my favourite is still Trip The Light Fantastic, I just like the way it feels to say that.
3. As well as being known for music you are also recognised for your style. You have a really strong look, you always wear such beautiful interesting pieces that you might not expect to work together but they really do on you because you also have a really chic feel to your style I think, which keeps your outfits classic looking. Have you always been interested in fashion?
Firstly, thank you for the compliment. I’ve always loved dressing up. Sometimes I think I have got it really wrong, but I think it doesn’t matter really, I try not to play it too safe, but I suppose part of the fun side of working in pop music is that you can really dress up, so I do.
4. Do you think it is important to have a strong style aesthetic when breaking into the music industry especially nowadays with the likes of Lady GaGa at the forefront of the fashion and music crossover?
I think undeniable that the visual and the audio side are connected. So many people are influenced by the front cover, the video, the way you look when you are performing, so although you can get away with not putting that much work into the aesthetic side, you’re probably doing yourself a disservice really. That little world you create helps to inform how you think your music should be heard. I certainly can watch a video and go from thinking ‘I’m not sure about that song’ to ‘actually I really love it’ it can sometimes really unlock it for me so I think it’s in your best interests to make it cohesive.
5. Would you ever consider designing your own fashion line?
I get asked this question a lot which is really lovely, unfortunately the people who haven’t asked me are the ones who actually would be able to provide that service. So yeah, I’d be up for it but I’m not talking to anyone about it. What girl wouldn’t want to do it? So if there are any companies out there want me…
6. Where do you like to shop are you more designer or high street?
I’m more high street than designer, but my favourite is actually second hand and vintage shops and markets because I’m addicted to that one-off thing, I just love finding something and thinking ‘ooh no-one else is going to have this’ and all the colours and the old fabric and the story behind the clothes.
7. You have also done some modelling in the past too for Rimmel and Accessorize, what was that experience like for you and would you consider doing more modelling?
I don’t really see it as modelling, as a pop singer you get your picture taken quite a lot anyway. For the Rimmel stuff it was really good fun because you get to wear make-up and do all the stuff you normally do, and I think it’s a nice brand to be associated with. I don’t see myself as a model at all but it’s very flattering to be asked.
8. In Between making great albums you have also got married and had two children. How did you find the difference between your career from before you had children to now, is it a difficult industry to be in when you are also trying to juggle family life as well or is it quite accommodating?
I think it’s quite accommodating actually. A lot of people I work with have got children. I think for my kids there are a lot worse childhoods than one that is surrounded by music. For them its second nature that there are loads of instruments lying round and Richard and I are always playing our new songs and singing around the place. I think the biggest difference between before them and after them is that I am much happier in myself and I think I have become strangely more fearless because you lose some of your inhibitions I suppose and I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone anymore. I’m just enjoying it – there is no point playing it super safe.
9. Do you notice a lot of changes about the music industry from when you started out till now, what with all the different ways people have broke through whether it be MySpace ,YouTube or X Factor rather than the mainstream route, there seems to be a lot more variety out there now?
Yeah I think that’s true but at the same time I think things have got a lot more diluted. It feels like there isn’t a sense of occasion around stuff any more. It used to be that there would be an occasion around each single release or performing Top Of The Pops, but that has dissipated now amongst all these different mediums so I miss that a little bit, that heyday of gearing up for all these milestone moments, at the same time I think the whole digital age is exciting and gives the power back to the people really for everything, which has influenced fashion and music a lot.
10. I’ve always thought you seemed really fearless in your music choices like your new album having a different electro dance sound and even when you first started out with ‘murder on the dancefloor’ which to me is just such a classic song it never dates, but I remember at the time it was really different to what everyone else was doing and people were really impressed by your music, have you, with every album always wanted to kind of re invent your sound?
I think my most fearless moment (although it was quite unwitting really) was when I brought out my third album and which was very poppy and had bits of synth on it at the time the charts was full of guitars, I didn’t realise that I was in my own bubble thinking ‘I just like making pop music’ but now I’m like ‘blimey, that was actually quite bold’. But I think I’m a creature of habit, I’m like a Christmas tree, for 10 months of the year it doesn’t really make that much sense but then for two months it’s like ‘that’s exactly what we need right now’. I just wait my time until it comes around again.
11. Perez Hilton seems to be a really big fan of your music and has posted about you on his blog before. That must be great having support from such an influential figure. Have you any plans to go over and release your music in America?
Perez has been great and that’s cool. There have been little murmurings of going over to America because the Freemasons spend quite a lot of time DJing in clubs over there. So I might do a little tour of Gay clubs in America. There’s also been talk about going over to New York for Gay Pride and that would be pretty cool, but that’s about as far as it’s got. I’ll go wherever people want me, that’s always been my rule.
12. And finally, where would you like to see yourself in 10 years time, personally and professionally?
I’ve got not idea. Still doing what I love would be great. I’m sure music will still be a big part of my life. But I really don’t know – I can’t even really remember 10 years back and I can’t really imagine 10 years forward.
At This Moment In Time......
1. Favourite Song/Album - My favourite album at the moment is the ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ album.
2. Favourite Quote - Coco Chanel said that you should take off the last accessory that you put on and I always find that to be true.
3. Favourite TV Show - Mad Men
4. Best Piece of Advice - Trust your instincts (it’s what my mum says – she’s right!)
5. Favourite blog/website - It’s gotta be this one!
Sophie's youtube promo for Bittersweet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE7HSsoSg70 "Hello, it's me. And her. We're the same person."
This is why i call her a proper popstar. Everytime you think she cant make you love her more, she proves you wrong.
This is a nice way to a bit of promo. Especially for all of us who have access to the internet.
Bittersweet - out May 3rd.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
3 stars for Bittersweet from Daily Reviews
ORIGINAL ARTICLE - http://www.daily-reviews.com/sophie-ellis-bextor-bittersweet/
Have you ever taken the time to appreciate what a spectacularly good pop star Sophie Ellis Bextor is? She’s got all the human qualities we tend to admire in real people – can take a joke, doesn’t seem to consider herself a tortured artiste, has a happy marriage – but it’s all wrapped up in a certain…otherness.
That voice is kind of striking, for a kick off: frosty and cold on the outside, but boiling with passion underneath. She’s an anti-arctic roll, throatally speaking. And while there’s no doubt as to her beauty and charm, she also looks a bit like an oil painting which has miraculously come to life. Lovely to look at, but somehow troubling too. These are all plus points, by the way.
And unlike Lady GaGa, who has to really work with the costumes and makeup to create the same effect, Sophie’s otherness is marrow deep. She’s a naturally unnatural pop star.
(Here’s the video. It’s all white.)
All of which means she has the ability to transform a song from plodding dance-pop into startling frosty-wonder with one honking warble. A power she has had to use to its full capabilities on this song, sad to say.
The thing is, it takes a certain amount of nerve to put out a song which shares key characteristics – the climbing-up-the-stairs melody that starts the chorus, that stately tempo, the hazy, whispery backwash of whooshy noises – with Girl’s Aloud’s ‘Untouchable’ (aka the single which failed to live up to the promise of ‘The Promise’).
It’s not that the two songs are so similar you can’t tell them apart, but there’s enough similarity there that a seasoned chartwatcher (hello!) could probably predict what kind of reception one song would get, based on the success of the other. ‘Untouchable’ having been a relative disappointment for the Girls girls, just as they were riding off the back of their best single ever (arguments in the usual place, obv), it seems odd that Sophie would choose to go to a similar place and expect a different result.
She tends to be at her best when tackling something a bit more dramatic than this, something with a personality to match her own, something for the mind to worry at, like a puzzle. Something which is actually both bitter and sweet.
Luckily, as she is such a singular talent, she’s going to get a few more chances yet. Astonishing pop stars always do.
That voice is kind of striking, for a kick off: frosty and cold on the outside, but boiling with passion underneath. She’s an anti-arctic roll, throatally speaking. And while there’s no doubt as to her beauty and charm, she also looks a bit like an oil painting which has miraculously come to life. Lovely to look at, but somehow troubling too. These are all plus points, by the way.
And unlike Lady GaGa, who has to really work with the costumes and makeup to create the same effect, Sophie’s otherness is marrow deep. She’s a naturally unnatural pop star.
(Here’s the video. It’s all white.)
All of which means she has the ability to transform a song from plodding dance-pop into startling frosty-wonder with one honking warble. A power she has had to use to its full capabilities on this song, sad to say.
The thing is, it takes a certain amount of nerve to put out a song which shares key characteristics – the climbing-up-the-stairs melody that starts the chorus, that stately tempo, the hazy, whispery backwash of whooshy noises – with Girl’s Aloud’s ‘Untouchable’ (aka the single which failed to live up to the promise of ‘The Promise’).
It’s not that the two songs are so similar you can’t tell them apart, but there’s enough similarity there that a seasoned chartwatcher (hello!) could probably predict what kind of reception one song would get, based on the success of the other. ‘Untouchable’ having been a relative disappointment for the Girls girls, just as they were riding off the back of their best single ever (arguments in the usual place, obv), it seems odd that Sophie would choose to go to a similar place and expect a different result.
She tends to be at her best when tackling something a bit more dramatic than this, something with a personality to match her own, something for the mind to worry at, like a puzzle. Something which is actually both bitter and sweet.
Luckily, as she is such a singular talent, she’s going to get a few more chances yet. Astonishing pop stars always do.
Sophie on Good Times with Justin Lee Collins
(thanks to Paul)
Sophie likes to stuff her face and Justin Lee Collins fancy's Sophie's mum. Also, theaudience was mentioned.
The interview is about Sophie being in the music industry from the age of 16, Groovejet becoming 10 years old this August and some chit chat about Sophie's mum. Justin jokes about Sophie calling her perfume Bittersweet, if she decides to launch one.
Download.
Normal Quality - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=28QLJR29
High Definition - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OEN1U9CC
Behind the scenes - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1BKRCOUY
Sophie likes to stuff her face and Justin Lee Collins fancy's Sophie's mum. Also, theaudience was mentioned.
The interview is about Sophie being in the music industry from the age of 16, Groovejet becoming 10 years old this August and some chit chat about Sophie's mum. Justin jokes about Sophie calling her perfume Bittersweet, if she decides to launch one.
Download.
Normal Quality - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=28QLJR29
High Definition - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OEN1U9CC
Behind the scenes - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1BKRCOUY
Sophie might give up on music if this album doesn't do well
This is such a bad day, for two reasons. After spending 4 weeks in the #1 spot, Sophie is down to #2 on MTV Dance. Guys, please vote, vote everyday. Here's the link - http://www.mtv.co.uk/channels/mtv-dance/chart
I'm kinda scared after reading Digital Spy's new post. I'm actually very scared. The one person who defines good music to me is Sophie. If she gave up on music, then i'm more than 100% sure that i'm never going to bother about anything music-related. I just hope she was joking when she said that. I want Sophie to make music for the next 50 years....
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a216762/sophie-e-b-my-sound-is-most-popular.html
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has suggested that she would give up on music if her new material is not successful because her sound is at the height of its popularity.
The singer, who is gearing up for the release of her new album Straight To The Heart, said that her disco sound is musically on-trend, using Bloc Party and Snow Patrol's recent output as an example.
She told the Daily Star: "There's a been a resurgence in the power of DJ. You only have to look at the fact that Bloc Party and Snow Patrol's last singles had a trance edge."
"This is the longest gap I've ever had between records, but if I can't make it work in this climate I should give up because everything is '80s, a bit electro synthy and disco. That's exactly what I've been doing, but the new songs are a bit harder. It's the best stuff I've done. So let's have a go."
I have made up my mind. I'm buying the album in triplicate. Please support Sophie. Buy her music. Even if you're a casual fan who knows her just for Murder On The Dancefloor buy her music.
I'm kinda scared after reading Digital Spy's new post. I'm actually very scared. The one person who defines good music to me is Sophie. If she gave up on music, then i'm more than 100% sure that i'm never going to bother about anything music-related. I just hope she was joking when she said that. I want Sophie to make music for the next 50 years....
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a216762/sophie-e-b-my-sound-is-most-popular.html
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has suggested that she would give up on music if her new material is not successful because her sound is at the height of its popularity.
The singer, who is gearing up for the release of her new album Straight To The Heart, said that her disco sound is musically on-trend, using Bloc Party and Snow Patrol's recent output as an example.
She told the Daily Star: "There's a been a resurgence in the power of DJ. You only have to look at the fact that Bloc Party and Snow Patrol's last singles had a trance edge."
"This is the longest gap I've ever had between records, but if I can't make it work in this climate I should give up because everything is '80s, a bit electro synthy and disco. That's exactly what I've been doing, but the new songs are a bit harder. It's the best stuff I've done. So let's have a go."
I have made up my mind. I'm buying the album in triplicate. Please support Sophie. Buy her music. Even if you're a casual fan who knows her just for Murder On The Dancefloor buy her music.
Monday, April 26, 2010
EQ Interview with Sophie
First, congratulations to Sophie and Junior Caldera. Can't Fight This Feeling debuted at #13 on the Top Singles Chart and it still holds #3 on the Hits de Club. Things are finally starting to look good!
Electroqueer caught up with Sophie and had a nice little interview session with her. They also posted a beautiful picture of Sophie.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://zxlcreative.blogs.com/electroqueer/2010/04/eq-interview-with-sophie-ellisbextor.html
I've always wanted to chat to the pop legend that is Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She's just such a style icon and really knows how to make pleasurable and infectious pop music that I have always loved and appeciated. When it comes to top pop - Sophie Ellis-Bextor knows how to work it. Her fourth studio album "Straight From The Heart" is coming out soon and with "Bittersweet" (pre-order here), starting to make a splash, I got a chance to chat to this very busy woman about the new album, her work for Rimmel London cosmetics, how she now feels about some of her greatest hits, family life and working with the legendary Cathy Dennis - enjoy!
Well hello Sophie Ellis-Bextor. How are you today?
Hi Raj, not too bad thank you! (Raj? Indian? That is an Indian name. Now i'm jealous!)
I find it completely fascinating that you do so many things Sophie. You are an entrepreneur, you've finished up your fourth album AND you have two children - how do you keep up with it all?
Well - sometimes I don't! [Laughs]. I do find myself fairly busy most of the time, but I think I function better that way overall and most weeks it works out pretty well, but occasionally I feel pretty spread thin. I wouldn't swap any of it though - I don't really regard my job as a "real job" anyways [laughs]. Sometimes it feels a bit indulgent to call it work really.
Well it sure looks like you are having lots of fun doing it!
Yes - I really love all of it - honestly!
Your work with Rimmel has really helped boost your "icon" status. What's it like working with their brand of cosmetics and how does it help you with your music?
Firstly thank you - that's quite a nice compliment. I suppose Rimmel is just really nice for me because I always have loved wearing makeup and working with them is serendipitous. I like the brand anyways...
I heard your a bit of makeup fiend...
Yes definitely [laughs]. When I was first starting out in the music industry, it was kinda unusual to do endorsements and be seen as a "brand". But nowadays that seems completely the norm. If I have to get in bed with someone, I don't mind if it's a makeup company...I feel comfortable with it.
With Rimmel, it kinda positions you as a supermodel as well - but you're not a supermodel, you're a musician by trade - how do you find balancing the fine line between the two now?
Definitely a musician! I don't see myself as a model at all in my head. When I was asked to do the Rimmel campaign, it was because I was a singer that wears a lot of makeup! [Laughs] So I never saw myself as a model!
What's it like to work with Kate Moss when the camera's aren't rolling or when she's not in supermodel mode?
Well I don't really know her that well. I met her at a friends birthday party actually very briefly. Obviously Kate Moss is one of the most famous models in the world. I'm proud to have worked with her on Rimmel because she is one of the most ridiculously beautiful models in the world you know. It was probably good that she wasn't there during my work on the Rimmel campaign because it would have been intimidating for me I think!
"Murder On The Dancefloor" - is still one of my favourite pop songs - such an anthem. I YouTube it every so often just to watch the video. How do you feel about that track now that it's one of your "greatest hits" at this point?
Well I'm still on good terms with it. It's been quite strange really because that song has had a life of it's own - it went around the world and back. It's crazy, when I used to go and do promotions in places like Argentina, and you get there the song is already there to meet you! Crazy really! I'm proud of it. That was song I suppose you'd call "a career record". If I get into a black cab and the driver doesn't know my name, I can say I sang "Murder On The Dancefloor" and they will always know that. It's been a bit of a privilege to have done a song like that.
I heard even recently that "Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer" made it to number two in Russia. When something like that "hits" in a different territory - is it hard to manage life in-between two different countries?
That's been ok - Moscow is only four hours away and I love going there - it's so wonderfully foreign. I like the "russianess" of it - that sounds ridiculous! Sometimes you have to travel around a lot of places in Europe that don't have a strong identity - but Russia has got a great identity. They really like their electro and disco pop there!
They do! I primarily write about electro-pop and a lot of people ask me - which country is leading the way and I always say Russia...
I'm not surprised by that! A lot of people I know like DJs and singers who do dance music are always popping back and forth between Russia.
What was it like to work on your fourth album "Straight From The Heart"? You worked with some heavyweights on this one like Greg Kurtisn and Calvin Harris. How is different from "Trip The Light Fantastic"?
This record has been one of the most pleasurable to make and the easiest in comparison to "Trip The Light Fantastic" which I am very proud of, but it was one of the hardest albums to make. I think with the third record, if you manage to get that right, then you have a career. If you get the third album wrong, then you have to go back to the drawing board and think of something else...
With "Trip The Light Fantastic" - it was a change for you too when you started to explore more electro wasn't it?
Yeah I guess so. The new record "Straight From The Heart" is unashamedly more electro-heavy. I worked with a lot of DJs on this one. In the first three tracks there are songs I worked on with Metronomy, one with Calvin Harris and one with Freemasons - and after that I was like "yeah - let's just go for it". I think the third album had a bit more "indie" stuff left in there. I quite would like to do something different next time - maybe have some more guitars? [Laughs]
What are your favorite moments from "Straight From The Heart"? Which tracks are you most excited for us pop lovers to hear?
Well they are all shiny and new at the moment. Hopefully there is something for everyone on there, but the top ones for me are "Revolution" that I did with Cathy Dennis and Greg Kurstin. It's a bit different for me - a bit tougher. There's one called "Starlight" which Richard X which I think is really pretty and it's got a nice wistfulness about it. I do love "Off & On" too which I did with Calvin Harris, Roisin Murphy and Cathy Dennis. It's a sexy dance record.
Now I have to ask you this because she is one of my icons, but what was it like working with Cathy Dennis?
Brilliant! I love working with Cathy - she's one of the best pop writers out there as well as being a throughly lovely woman. The thing that makes her special is that she doesn't work with a business head at all - she does it because she loves it. She has happened to write some of the most brilliant and successful pop records. She gets so enthusiastic and lost in what she's doing while your working with her. She has such a signature sound too - it's got a real feel to it - a real flavour. She's pretty inspiring.
There is so much electro-pop being made these days and people are saying that electro-pop is sort of the new disco...how do you feel about that?
Yeah that's a good statement. I think I make contemporary disco music - that resonates with me. Disco should be a form of music that tells a story and has a beat to it. That's what I think dance music leaves out. It may sound sonically amazing, but it leaves the story out. Disco music also has a bit of sorrow in it - When I think of all my favorite disco records, they really get you you know! That's what should happen.
Now "Groovejet" that you did with Spiller recently has been named "most played song of the decade". Are you still proud of that song when you hear it?
Yes - I'm still really proud of that song. I don't know about you, but to me that song doesn't sound dated at all - it's ten years old! [laughs] I still like it. Is that accolade really true? I read that somewhere else too. If it is true, I think I should get some kind of disc, little medallion or at least a coffee mug or something...[laughs]
Now I read that you used to DJ at your own club night "Modern Love"...
Well we aren't doing "Modern Love" anymore now because it became too much hard work with being a mum and all. Richard and I did some DJ'ing for about two years, but now we do more guest appearances at clubs, special private events or playing for friends really. DJing just gives us a chance to play our favorite records really loud!
Now you and Richard really are the modern day music family with you and him being in The Feeling and all. Do your children have any ambitions in going into music being surrounding by you and Richard all the time?
Well they probably think it's quite a normal thing to be doing with your time. Our youngest is only one and the other one is five. The five year old is pretty interested in music. He's always asking what lyrics are about and I'll catch him humming "Wethering Heights" under his breath or Vampire Weekend...he's got an odd little musical knowledge. I don't know what he'll do when he's older, but I hope he's always a fan of music because that's been something that's been a deep rooted passion in my life and I hope he's always a fan and goes to gigs and be excited about it - I'll be happy if he does.
Is it quite normal for him when he sees one of your music videos on The Box or sees a Rimmel advert on TV?
Yeah completely normal. He's got me doing it and his dad doing it and his godfather is also in The Feeling. And my mom is also a TV presenter so he's sees grandma on telly. My brother Jack is my drummer too. He just thinks that's really normal. But it's starting to dawn on him that not every mommy or family is on telly.
Well that's it Sophie - thank you so much for your time. Any parting words for EQ readers?
I'm really excited for the album to be out and for you all to hear it - it's been two years in the making and would really love some feedback at this point! Lovely to meet you and all the best to EQ readers.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor's new album "Straight From The Heart" is out very soon and her new single "Bittersweet" drops on May 2nd. If you would like to pre-order the single - click here.
Daily Star's write-up
SOPHIE Ellis-Bextor is back to help the world rediscover its dancing feet after a three-year break.The porcelain-skinned belle returns with club banger Bittersweet, and she reckons there’s never been a better time to burn up the dancefloor.
Sophie, 31, told me: “There’s a been a resurgence in the power of DJ. You only have to look at the fact that Bloc Party and Snow Patrol’s last singles had a trance edge."
“This is the longest gap I’ve ever had between records, but if I can’t make it work in this climate I should give up because everything is ’80s, a bit electro synthy and disco."
“That’s exactly what I’ve been doing, but the new songs are a bit harder. It’s the best stuff I’ve done. So let’s have a go.”
Sophie teamed up with the cream of the dance pop world on incoming fourth album Straight To The Heart.
She explained: “I’ve always focused on the bottom end and I’ve been very spoilt this time."
“I have Calvin Harris, Freemasons, Richard X, Sneaker Pimps, Metronomy and Cathy Dennis all on the record. "
“I formed a good relationship with Calvin so we might work on more stuff.”
Sophie’s love of dance music has even seen her try out DJing with her husband and bassist Richard Jones, 32.
“We just have fun, it’s brilliant to play records we love very loud,” she said.
“Old disco, Prince, Bowie songs, feelgood pop.”
Sophie’s offspring are poised to join the business too. She said: “I want to take the family on the tour, my two boys love music.”
Bittersweet is out May 3.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/playlist/view/132575/Sophie-Ellis-Bextor-is-back-on-her-dancing-feet-/
Digital Spy's review (5 stars!!) + Sophie's internet hate + collaboration with Roger Sanchez
I know i hadn't posted about "Sophie's internet hate", even though it's all over the internet already. I was just waiting for readers and casual onlookers to discover the new leak "Did I?"
If you haven't already heard the song, please check the previous post. You're missing out on one hell of an amazing song. Sophierazzi salutes Sophie for that marvellous track. It's the perfect example for a short and sweet track.
Anyway, Nick Levine from Digital Spy gave Sophie's new single 5 stars, and he also gave an early review. I hope Sophie gets a lot of good reviews like this.
If you haven't already heard the song, please check the previous post. You're missing out on one hell of an amazing song. Sophierazzi salutes Sophie for that marvellous track. It's the perfect example for a short and sweet track.
Anyway, Nick Levine from Digital Spy gave Sophie's new single 5 stars, and he also gave an early review. I hope Sophie gets a lot of good reviews like this.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE - http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/a216517/sophie-ellis-bextor-bittersweet.html
Last year's 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)' was a bona fide dancefloor delight,And, the news about Sophie's internet hate. I don't know why it got branded as "hate". I'm sure she doesn't "hate" the internet. She doesn't like to google up herself, which is contradictory to what she had told previously (she loved to google up "I hate Sophie Ellis-Bextor". Then again that could have just been a sarcastic comment. Oh well)
so it's little wonder that Sophie Ellis-Bextor - perhaps our most under-appreciated pop princess - has teamed up with the Freemasons again for the first single from her upcoming fourth album. However, 'Bittersweet' is no twin sister to 'Heartbreak' - more a close-ish cousin you wouldn't mind sharing a frappucino with on a sunny Spring afternoon.
In only slightly more sensible terms, it's a big spangly club thumper with a pleasing hint of the '80s to it - the pop equivalent of that surprisingly elegant sequinned boob tube at the back of your mum's wardrobe. "I know I shouldn't go, but something makes me crave the heat," Soph sings on the wistful/uplifting chorus, "Your love is bittersweet, so here I am." You know that feeling when you're falling for someone you know you shouldn't - sort of excited and hesitant all at the same
time? Well, 'Bittersweet' pretty much nails it.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE - http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/sophie-ellisbextors-internet-hate_1140203AND, we couldn't tape the MTV show, but Sophie revealed on MTV Dance that she worked with Roger Sanchez on his new album. Keep your eyes peeled Sophiedroids. This year is going to be a fabulous year for Sophie *excited*
Sophie Ellis-Bextor will never look herself up on the internet because she is worried about reading negative criticism of herself.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor won't Google herself.
The 'Bittersweet' singer admits she is curious about searching for herself on the internet but refuses to give in to her urge because she doesn't want to read anything negative.
She said: "As for forums and people dissecting stuff, I don't know. Those things can be kind of... It's not intended for me to view. So I think it would be unwise of me to look. People might be really positive but all you can remember is all the negative stuff. I try and steer clear on the whole."
"You know what it's like? You know when you're at school and you leave the room and you get the idea people are talking about you and you kind of want to know what they're saying. But it's best you don't."
The 31-year-old pop star - who has two children, Sonny, five, and 14-month-old Kit Valentine, with The Feeling guitarist Richard Jones - thinks the web is bad for musicians because you can see criticisms instantly.
She explained to BANG Showbiz: "The internet has made everyone so self-centred. I don't think it's good for my head. You can check your Facebook and if you put a video on YouTube you can check that. And then you can check where your name is being discussed. It's not good to be so aware of all those things."
Sophie's new single 'Bittersweet' is released May 3.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
DID I leaks - Sophierazzi EXCLUSIVE
(thank you dedei for sharing this with the world - same guy who gave us Pop Wow & Mr. Friday)
Remember the song "DID I"? Well, here you go (new link)
It's an amazing song. It hasn't made it onto her new album. Cheers
Here's what i heard on the song
Do you
Still see me the way that you used to
Remember the streets that we ran through
The corners that held our embrace
The feeling was right
We were young and we lived for the night
All around us the city was out
Can we still find that place?
Can i forget
Is it all in my head
I can't be sure anymore
Was something lost
In the moments we share
Why do i wish we were there
(guitarring)
Did I
Did we?
Give up our love easily
Did I
Did we?
We'll never know cos you left it all upto me
Sometimes
You don't have the answers you're just right
To do what is right
But did i, why do these questions remain
Still so fresh in my mind
The last time where we said our goodbye
We'd no choice, oh we just has to try
And get over the pain
Cos we had our journey
The rush and the ride
Life carried on all the same
Now who's to say
We were wrong, we were right
I'd do it all over again
Did I
Did we?
Give up our love easily
Did I
Did we?
We'll never know cos you left it all upto me
Remember the song "DID I"? Well, here you go (new link)
It's an amazing song. It hasn't made it onto her new album. Cheers
Here's what i heard on the song
Do you
Still see me the way that you used to
Remember the streets that we ran through
The corners that held our embrace
The feeling was right
We were young and we lived for the night
All around us the city was out
Can we still find that place?
Can i forget
Is it all in my head
I can't be sure anymore
Was something lost
In the moments we share
Why do i wish we were there
(guitarring)
Did I
Did we?
Give up our love easily
Did I
Did we?
We'll never know cos you left it all upto me
Sometimes
You don't have the answers you're just right
To do what is right
But did i, why do these questions remain
Still so fresh in my mind
The last time where we said our goodbye
We'd no choice, oh we just has to try
And get over the pain
Cos we had our journey
The rush and the ride
Life carried on all the same
Now who's to say
We were wrong, we were right
I'd do it all over again
Did I
Did we?
Give up our love easily
Did I
Did we?
We'll never know cos you left it all upto me
Friday, April 23, 2010
Exclusive interview with Sophie (The Mirror) + Circus themed shoot
To celebrate her 10 years in pop, we created Sophie Ellis Bextor, 31, her very own circus with all the fun of the fair. And despite her showgirl good looks, she insists that with laddered tights, paint-sploshing tendencies and a ‘moon face’, she’s more like one of the clowns…Before meeting Sophie, we thought she might be an ice queen. We thought she might be serious and, dare we say it, a touch condescending? We shake our head in shame because we were wrong. Yes she’s articulate and, if we’re honest, a tad sparing with the smiles, but that’s because she’s no faker. And she does occasionally betray her steely demeanour with flashes of silliness, involving tales of her kids and husband. She married Richard Jones (The Feeling’s bassist) in 2005 and clearly adores him – not that she’d gush. She just can’t help affectionately peppering his name throughout the answers to our questions. ‘When it comes to my family I never quite know how protective I have to be, or what I should or shouldn’t say,’ she ponders. As a mum of two boys, Sonny, six, and Kit, one, she insists the family are ‘boring’ and do normal things like getting the tube, although music obviously plays a big part in their lives. ‘We were on the train and someone had headphones on, Sonny could hear the bassline and recognised it as one of my songs,’ explains the singer. ‘It’s the same with The Feeling’s stuff, he’ll hear it and say, “Is that you daddy?”’
As for her yummy-mummy exterior, the daughter of Blue Peter legend Janet Ellis guffaws at the prospect. Arriving at the shoot in a vintage navy mini-dress, tights and ballet pumps, which she insists is ‘dressed down’ (not by our standards, but whatevs), she says she’s never happier than when making a mess. ‘I don’t know why people think I’m polished – I often leave the house with buttons missing and ladders in my tights. I had a bucket of paint thrown at me in the video for my new single Bittersweet and it was great.’
It’s only when you consider this single will be taken from Sophie’s fourth album, Straight To The Heart, out this summer, you realise how much she’s achieved. Her first single Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) with DJ Spiller in 2000 is still hailed as one of the best No 1s of all time. But it’s her subsequent hits like Murder On The Dance Floor that have sealed her rep as a Disco Diva. She doesn’t take it for granted though. ‘Having a successful first album is one thing, but a successful third is another,’ she says philosophically. ‘You have to apply yourself because you’ll never get a better opportunity than the one you have right now. Having said that, people know by now if they like me or not. I don’t need to prove anything.’Tottering her bird-like frame over to the picture set in heels of stilt-like proportions, we do believe she’s proved a lot. Looking every inch the glam trapeze artist, she’s smashed our ice maiden preconceptions, and, when we continue our questions with a dubious circus theme, she just laughs and takes it in her stride.
ROLL UP ROLL UP FOR OUR MAGICAL, MYSTERY CIRCUS-THEMED QUESTIONS
Who would be the RINGMASTER in your family?
There isn’t one person in our house who calls the shots, but it takes a lot for Richard to blow his top. Sonny dictates too much of what goes on and we let him get away with it, but he makes us laugh and is a bit bonkers.
So are you and Richard CLOWNS?
There are a lots of clowns in our family – our house is a fun house. We might have the music on before bedtime and sometimes when Sonny gets to stay up dancing around with us, he’ll be like, ‘Just one more song!’ And we’re like, ‘OK, just one more’. We’re too childish to bark, ‘No!’
Have you ever seen a FORTUNE TELLER?
In LA a palm reader said to me, ‘You’re going to have three kids’. Then turned to Richard and said: ‘You’ll have four kids’. We had our flippin’ wedding rings on, but it serves me right. When I was younger, in Indonesia I had a face reading. I got told I had ‘a face like a moron’ [laughing]. Turns out they were trying to say I had a face like the moon.
What’s been the most MAGICAL day of your life?
It’s a cliché, but our wedding was really special. My best memories were the moments you couldn’t contrive, like when a song came on at the disco and we all got up and did silly moves.
Have you ever performed a DEATH-DEFYING STUNT?
I love fun fair rides, but I’m wary of things where you might die. I worried when Rich did a skydive a couple of weeks ago, but my mum did about 40 when she was in Blue Peter so I understand people do crazy stuff and I try not to get paranoid. I do other things that scare me like singing at the Olympic Games handover gig at Buckingham Palace (in 2008). It was live on telly in front of millions so I was very nervous, but whenever I do stuff like that I always want to do it again, so I try not to be too scared to enjoy it.
Have you ever needed to channel your inner STRONG MAN?
When both my babies were born prematurely. When it happens, you just find something in yourself to cope. It changes your perspective on life. You learn that, when your children are all right, everything is right in the world. That’s the terrifying thing about being a parent, you’re so vulnerable.
What’s the secret to JUGGLING a successful career with motherhood?
You have to go with the flow. You can’t beat yourself up too much. If there’s a week when I don’t see them much, I make up for it the next. And I make sure they’re always surrounded by loving people. We have a brilliant nanny called Claire who’s been around since he was a baby, my mum lives down the road, my dad is around a lot, there is always someone popping into the house. We love having big parties with all our friends.
Ever felt like a FREAK SHOW?
When I first started out, I got criticism for the way I looked. I think, now, it’s a good thing because, why would you want to look like everyone else? I feel confident in my skin more and more – you come to celebrate the things that make you different. When they asked me do the Rimmel campaign I was chuffed. I never saw myself as one of life’s beauties. When I was a teenager boys weren’t interested in me, so I wouldn’t have been the sort of person you’d expect to do a make-up campaign. So I hope it’s nice for young girls who feel the same.
SOPHIE'S CHOICE
We put Sophie on the spot for some quick-fire questions
● Cup of tea or glass of wine? I love wine, but a cup of tea is my favourite drink in the world. I don’t dunk biscuits because I don’t like them soggy. I’ll have one on the side.
● Children’s party or Djing at a club? How about DJing at a children’s party? I’ve done that loads of times, the kids love Michael Jackson – a bit of Prince. A good song is a good song whatever your age.
● Slobbing out round the house, is it skirt or joggers? Definitely a skirt, I don’t really wear trousers.
● Text or phone call? Text. I get Richard to make important calls for me. I don’t like speaking to people on the phone.
● Supporting Take That or George Michael? Take That. We did 34 dates together and they were perfect hosts.
● Posh Restaurant or pizza at home? Restaurant. I don’t eat pizza. Fish and chips, on the other hand, is my favourite meal ever.
● In that case: Mayo or ketchup? I’d date ketchup and marry mayonnaise. Ketchup has to be my first love.
Original article - http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/celebs-on-sunday/2010/04/25/exclusive-interview-with-sophie-ellis-bextor-115875-22199354/
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Track by track: Straight To The Heart - Sophie's 4th record
(thanks to Lee B for scanning the mag)Track by Track: Straight To The Heart
From Gay Times Maganize
Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer - This one was with the Freemasons. I think it's quite a theatrical love song really. I was playing a bit of a diva but it's quite fun. It's one of those things where you've got to take on a slight alter-ego.
Bittersweet - It's a genuine raw emotion when something's intoxicated you and you can't really do anything about it. When we've been doing it acoustically it's actually quite romantic. When it's got all the bells and whistles it sounds a bit more saucy.
Off And On - A track with Calvin Harris, it was originally written with Roisin Murphy for her record but for one reason or another she felt it didn't fit. Ordinarily I’m a bit squeamish about taking on songs that I didn't write. But I think you've always got to think that you can bring something to it.
Revolution - Working with Cathy Dennis was brilliant, I'm a big fan of hers. It's probably one of my tougher songs. It will be a single, it has a different sound to it. I don't know if I rap exactly in the verses but it's quite sort of aggressive and monotone there. It's with this guy called Greg Kurstin who's a really good producer in LA and Cathy does things that you don't think of doing, like in this song I name check 'Murder On The Dancefloor'
Starlight - I did this with Richard X and Hannah Robinson and it's one of my favourites. I love it in pop music when it's got a soft of wistful sadness like Giorgio Moroder's always really good at that. This song has definitely got that feel.
Magic - Again with Hannah and Richard, and another love song. Sometimes when I'm writing songs I get imagines in my head and with this one I'm always riding a horse, it sounds a bit like I'm galloping somewhere. In the video I've got to do it on horseback.
Synchronised - One of a couple of slower numbers which is about trying to get back in tune with a lover you but you probably won't ever do it, so that's got sadness too. I'm always drawn to sad things. It’s actually really hard to write a happy song I find. I have tried it on many occasions and you do achieve it sometimes but it's actually that sadness and heartache and unrequited love have got built-in interest I suppose, a bit more depth.
Cut Straight To The Heart - Another slow one, I did this with the lovely Ed Harcourt, a really talented singer/songwriter. This is a really melodic song. He's one of the best lyricists I've ever worked with. I know a lot of people who are good with melody, I think that's one of my strong points. But lyrics, it's just really tough to get a lyric that does exactly what you want it to but he's really good at that.
Dial My Number - A song about a text stalker that I have. I've never replied to them but they send me these texts, sending me jokes, sending me my lyrics. Not particularly sinister, but kind of annoying. So it started off as an idea of a song about someone that you're saying "you might have my number but it doesn't mean that anything's gonna happen, so don't get your hopes up."
Homewrecker - Another song with a weird subject matter - you can probably guess what Homewrecker's about! (laughs) It's about girls who flirt with your boyfriend right under your nose which is very annoying. And sometimes they're really just oblivious, they're just so happy to have the attention that they don't really realise that they've crossed the line and they'll go "Yeah but she's just a good friend" and you're like "Yeah but I saw the way she laughed at your jokes and I saw the way she put her hand on your arm when she was telling a story and it's not on". Not on!
Under Your Touch - A song which is quite a saucy love song really. It's just about fancying someone, which is always a good subject matter.
Scene - I did this one with Joe from Metronomy. Actually, Scene was a very instrumental track and it really set the tone. It was written quite early on. It was quite quirky and different and it's just made me think that maybe I've got to try some new stuff here, try something just a bit to push me a bit I suppose so it was a really important track to write.
(I know Not Giving Up On Love isn't mentioned here, but Sophie says it's on the album. No reason to worry. Sophie said this about the song in a radio interview - "Boom – Boom – Boom – Boom - Boom - like fairground music. I mean that in a good way. I worked with a trance DJ called Armin van Buuren. I am pleased with that one. It sounds like authentic trance. I would never have thought in a million years I would do a trance record. But like everything I do it’s all about melody and song, so it just happens to be a trance record.")
Bittersweet - It's a genuine raw emotion when something's intoxicated you and you can't really do anything about it. When we've been doing it acoustically it's actually quite romantic. When it's got all the bells and whistles it sounds a bit more saucy.
Off And On - A track with Calvin Harris, it was originally written with Roisin Murphy for her record but for one reason or another she felt it didn't fit. Ordinarily I’m a bit squeamish about taking on songs that I didn't write. But I think you've always got to think that you can bring something to it.
Revolution - Working with Cathy Dennis was brilliant, I'm a big fan of hers. It's probably one of my tougher songs. It will be a single, it has a different sound to it. I don't know if I rap exactly in the verses but it's quite sort of aggressive and monotone there. It's with this guy called Greg Kurstin who's a really good producer in LA and Cathy does things that you don't think of doing, like in this song I name check 'Murder On The Dancefloor'
Starlight - I did this with Richard X and Hannah Robinson and it's one of my favourites. I love it in pop music when it's got a soft of wistful sadness like Giorgio Moroder's always really good at that. This song has definitely got that feel.
Magic - Again with Hannah and Richard, and another love song. Sometimes when I'm writing songs I get imagines in my head and with this one I'm always riding a horse, it sounds a bit like I'm galloping somewhere. In the video I've got to do it on horseback.
Synchronised - One of a couple of slower numbers which is about trying to get back in tune with a lover you but you probably won't ever do it, so that's got sadness too. I'm always drawn to sad things. It’s actually really hard to write a happy song I find. I have tried it on many occasions and you do achieve it sometimes but it's actually that sadness and heartache and unrequited love have got built-in interest I suppose, a bit more depth.
Cut Straight To The Heart - Another slow one, I did this with the lovely Ed Harcourt, a really talented singer/songwriter. This is a really melodic song. He's one of the best lyricists I've ever worked with. I know a lot of people who are good with melody, I think that's one of my strong points. But lyrics, it's just really tough to get a lyric that does exactly what you want it to but he's really good at that.
Dial My Number - A song about a text stalker that I have. I've never replied to them but they send me these texts, sending me jokes, sending me my lyrics. Not particularly sinister, but kind of annoying. So it started off as an idea of a song about someone that you're saying "you might have my number but it doesn't mean that anything's gonna happen, so don't get your hopes up."
Homewrecker - Another song with a weird subject matter - you can probably guess what Homewrecker's about! (laughs) It's about girls who flirt with your boyfriend right under your nose which is very annoying. And sometimes they're really just oblivious, they're just so happy to have the attention that they don't really realise that they've crossed the line and they'll go "Yeah but she's just a good friend" and you're like "Yeah but I saw the way she laughed at your jokes and I saw the way she put her hand on your arm when she was telling a story and it's not on". Not on!
Under Your Touch - A song which is quite a saucy love song really. It's just about fancying someone, which is always a good subject matter.
Scene - I did this one with Joe from Metronomy. Actually, Scene was a very instrumental track and it really set the tone. It was written quite early on. It was quite quirky and different and it's just made me think that maybe I've got to try some new stuff here, try something just a bit to push me a bit I suppose so it was a really important track to write.
(I know Not Giving Up On Love isn't mentioned here, but Sophie says it's on the album. No reason to worry. Sophie said this about the song in a radio interview - "Boom – Boom – Boom – Boom - Boom - like fairground music. I mean that in a good way. I worked with a trance DJ called Armin van Buuren. I am pleased with that one. It sounds like authentic trance. I would never have thought in a million years I would do a trance record. But like everything I do it’s all about melody and song, so it just happens to be a trance record.")
Sophie Q&A - Bittersweet talk - Pt. 2
from SEB.net
How did the recent photoshoots go?
I did a great one this week with a circus theme for the Sunday Mirror Magazine and a make-up artist called Louise who I worked with for Murder On The Dancefloor and Take Me Home - I've known her for a long time. She got to play around with four different colours of glitter, all on my eye, and it looked very pretty and very sparkly. I'm still removing it now, but that's okay. I don't mind being a bit twinkly.
(Sophie mentioned this shoot on the Heart FM interview, check the previous post)
And the sleeve for the single has been revealed.
Yup. More paint. I like it actually. I'm really pleased with the artwork - I think
it's going to be a really good campaign.
Popjustice pointed out that your name is broken-up with Sophie and Ellis-Bextor on different lines. Was this a deliberate thing?
Um, no. But that's Peter Robinson for you. I'm actually speaking to him this
afternoon. I'm doing that NME thing he does, Peter Robinson Versus. I'm ready for
him. Bring it on Peter.
And the Jackson Pollock-esque paint splashes, are those going to continue throughout the campaign?
That or something similar. We've got a couple of ideas. It might be that we stick
with the paint because I do love the way it's turned out. But there are a couple of
other ideas knocking around too.
The cover's a little bit Stone Roses-ish in that sense.
Yes I suppose it is.
Did you do the paint splodges yourself?
I didn't, no. They would have looked worse than that. I know they're supposed to
look artistically chaotic but mine would probably have just looked really messy.
Do you think they did them with actual paint, or with a computer?
I think they did it with actual paint.
You think they stuck a load of pictures of you on a wall and threw paint at them?
I think they probably did because the same company did the first album, with the
black and white image which they'd written over with lipstick. And they did use real
lipstick and just scrawled on the picture.
Also from SEB.net, a few updates about TV appearances
1. Justin Lee Collins' new show over on FIVE will be welcoming Sophie Ellis-Bextor on Monday 26th April. 'Good Times' will feature an exclusive interview with Sophie, alongside fellow guests, Kevin Bishop and Richard Hawley. Catch Sophie and JLC on Monday at 10pm on FIVE.
2. Sophie will be joining Lorraine Kelly for a chat on that famous GMTV sofa and a performance of her new single 'Bittersweet'! Tune into GMTV with Lorraine next Thursday 29th April on ITV1 from 8.30am. As an extra treat, straight after the show, log onto GMTV.co.uk to watch a special acoustic performance and take part in an exclusive webchat with Sophie!
How did the recent photoshoots go?
I did a great one this week with a circus theme for the Sunday Mirror Magazine and a make-up artist called Louise who I worked with for Murder On The Dancefloor and Take Me Home - I've known her for a long time. She got to play around with four different colours of glitter, all on my eye, and it looked very pretty and very sparkly. I'm still removing it now, but that's okay. I don't mind being a bit twinkly.
(Sophie mentioned this shoot on the Heart FM interview, check the previous post)
And the sleeve for the single has been revealed.
Yup. More paint. I like it actually. I'm really pleased with the artwork - I think
it's going to be a really good campaign.
Popjustice pointed out that your name is broken-up with Sophie and Ellis-Bextor on different lines. Was this a deliberate thing?
Um, no. But that's Peter Robinson for you. I'm actually speaking to him this
afternoon. I'm doing that NME thing he does, Peter Robinson Versus. I'm ready for
him. Bring it on Peter.
And the Jackson Pollock-esque paint splashes, are those going to continue throughout the campaign?
That or something similar. We've got a couple of ideas. It might be that we stick
with the paint because I do love the way it's turned out. But there are a couple of
other ideas knocking around too.
The cover's a little bit Stone Roses-ish in that sense.
Yes I suppose it is.
Did you do the paint splodges yourself?
I didn't, no. They would have looked worse than that. I know they're supposed to
look artistically chaotic but mine would probably have just looked really messy.
Do you think they did them with actual paint, or with a computer?
I think they did it with actual paint.
You think they stuck a load of pictures of you on a wall and threw paint at them?
I think they probably did because the same company did the first album, with the
black and white image which they'd written over with lipstick. And they did use real
lipstick and just scrawled on the picture.
Also from SEB.net, a few updates about TV appearances
1. Justin Lee Collins' new show over on FIVE will be welcoming Sophie Ellis-Bextor on Monday 26th April. 'Good Times' will feature an exclusive interview with Sophie, alongside fellow guests, Kevin Bishop and Richard Hawley. Catch Sophie and JLC on Monday at 10pm on FIVE.
2. Sophie will be joining Lorraine Kelly for a chat on that famous GMTV sofa and a performance of her new single 'Bittersweet'! Tune into GMTV with Lorraine next Thursday 29th April on ITV1 from 8.30am. As an extra treat, straight after the show, log onto GMTV.co.uk to watch a special acoustic performance and take part in an exclusive webchat with Sophie!
Sophie's thoughts about "The Ministry of Silly Walks" (lol) - Heart FM Interview
You can listen to the whole interview here - http://player.musicradio.com/hearthampshire/aod/?episodeId=128239
Or download it for archiving purposes here - http://www.mediafire.com/?ommmzjzgimh
Here's the entire transcript (thanks to Paul)
Good Morning, I'm Dan Mills, in for Jules and Bunker on Heart Breakfast this week. Sophie Ellis-Bextor came into the Heart studios on Friday. She looked so glam, so I started off by probing her on her fitness regime.
Ah, today I had very sore thighs. I went to the gym yesterday and did some very strange thing involving a big inflatable ball and some weird hip raisers or something. I think if I was left to my own accord I would never exercise ever, but I make sure I book in with a trainer, and then she forces me to do stuff like walking lunges! Nobody does a walking lunge if they don't have to,do they? I think trainers club together, like "The Ministry Of Silly Walks". You can imagine them saying "I made one of mine do this today!". That woman yesterday was making me do really big skips across the football field - really big skips - and that just looks ridiculous!
Aren't you worried that someone will snap you on their camera phone?
I have no shame, I don't care. If you want to get a picture of me in mid-flight, go for it!
How do you juggle the music, being the Face of Rimmel, and being a mum at the same time?
Well, some of it is more demanding than others. The Rimmel stuff, wearing the make-up, that's pretty easy and natural for me. I've always loved make-up anyway. I think the most demanding are definitely the children. But they're happy and I probably spend more time with them than a lot of working mums, because I'll have periods of intense activity with my work and then maybe I'll have times when it's a little bit quieter, when I'm in the studio or something.
How old are they now, and do they understand what you do for a living?
I have a one-year old who doesn't really get what I do at all. Although when I came home from work the other day with four different shades of glitter all over my eyes, and very big eye-lashes he was pretty excited by that. And then my other child is going to be six in a couple of weeks, and he is aware of what I do.
Here is a sneak preview of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's new song. It's called "Bittersweet". In the video for it she has paint thrown all over her. It's not a computer-generated thing, it really happened. So I wanted to know why she said "yes" to that.
We just thought of a number of silly things to do, like trampolining, having cannons fire things at me, hula hooping, and paint over the head.
Trampolining, the cannons and hula hooping (if you can do it) sound like fun. But how ever did they put to you the idea of chucking paint all over you? Were there alarm bells going off when they tried to get you to do that?
You know, I kind of enjoy all of that. I think, the more extreme, the better! All the dancers had it done, and I thought, "come on, give me your worst, let's do it!". And you know how you spend your life not really living those extremes very often. I mean, how many people have had a bucket of paint dropped over their head, right?
It's the kind of thing Noel Edmonds used to do to people in the 80's
Being slimed or gunged; it's fun, isn't it!
This was the day before Sophie's birthday, so I wished her a very happy birthday.
Ah, Thank you!
Are you excited?
Yeah, I love birthdays. I'm going to have a party. I'm going to have cake. This is a bit of a silly time for me because April is my husband's birthday, my two best friends' birthdays, my eldest child's birthday, my in-law's birthday, my uncle's and three of my four cousins'.
Woah! That's a lot of photo frames to buy people.
Photo frames, scented candles, and cakes... Wow!
The best people have birthdays in April. It was my 30th last Friday.
Hey! Happy birthday! I think it's a good time. I'm going to be 31 tomorrow. So as someone at the other end of their first year at 30 I can tell you it's good. It all works out fine.
So new single, Bittersweet comes out Third of May. The first track from your forth album which is out in the summer. The tune is amazing. Thank you so much for coming in, Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Ah, thank you Dan very much.
Or download it for archiving purposes here - http://www.mediafire.com/?ommmzjzgimh
Here's the entire transcript (thanks to Paul)
Good Morning, I'm Dan Mills, in for Jules and Bunker on Heart Breakfast this week. Sophie Ellis-Bextor came into the Heart studios on Friday. She looked so glam, so I started off by probing her on her fitness regime.
Ah, today I had very sore thighs. I went to the gym yesterday and did some very strange thing involving a big inflatable ball and some weird hip raisers or something. I think if I was left to my own accord I would never exercise ever, but I make sure I book in with a trainer, and then she forces me to do stuff like walking lunges! Nobody does a walking lunge if they don't have to,do they? I think trainers club together, like "The Ministry Of Silly Walks". You can imagine them saying "I made one of mine do this today!". That woman yesterday was making me do really big skips across the football field - really big skips - and that just looks ridiculous!
Aren't you worried that someone will snap you on their camera phone?
I have no shame, I don't care. If you want to get a picture of me in mid-flight, go for it!
How do you juggle the music, being the Face of Rimmel, and being a mum at the same time?
Well, some of it is more demanding than others. The Rimmel stuff, wearing the make-up, that's pretty easy and natural for me. I've always loved make-up anyway. I think the most demanding are definitely the children. But they're happy and I probably spend more time with them than a lot of working mums, because I'll have periods of intense activity with my work and then maybe I'll have times when it's a little bit quieter, when I'm in the studio or something.
How old are they now, and do they understand what you do for a living?
I have a one-year old who doesn't really get what I do at all. Although when I came home from work the other day with four different shades of glitter all over my eyes, and very big eye-lashes he was pretty excited by that. And then my other child is going to be six in a couple of weeks, and he is aware of what I do.
Here is a sneak preview of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's new song. It's called "Bittersweet". In the video for it she has paint thrown all over her. It's not a computer-generated thing, it really happened. So I wanted to know why she said "yes" to that.
We just thought of a number of silly things to do, like trampolining, having cannons fire things at me, hula hooping, and paint over the head.
Trampolining, the cannons and hula hooping (if you can do it) sound like fun. But how ever did they put to you the idea of chucking paint all over you? Were there alarm bells going off when they tried to get you to do that?
You know, I kind of enjoy all of that. I think, the more extreme, the better! All the dancers had it done, and I thought, "come on, give me your worst, let's do it!". And you know how you spend your life not really living those extremes very often. I mean, how many people have had a bucket of paint dropped over their head, right?
It's the kind of thing Noel Edmonds used to do to people in the 80's
Being slimed or gunged; it's fun, isn't it!
This was the day before Sophie's birthday, so I wished her a very happy birthday.
Ah, Thank you!
Are you excited?
Yeah, I love birthdays. I'm going to have a party. I'm going to have cake. This is a bit of a silly time for me because April is my husband's birthday, my two best friends' birthdays, my eldest child's birthday, my in-law's birthday, my uncle's and three of my four cousins'.
Woah! That's a lot of photo frames to buy people.
Photo frames, scented candles, and cakes... Wow!
The best people have birthdays in April. It was my 30th last Friday.
Hey! Happy birthday! I think it's a good time. I'm going to be 31 tomorrow. So as someone at the other end of their first year at 30 I can tell you it's good. It all works out fine.
So new single, Bittersweet comes out Third of May. The first track from your forth album which is out in the summer. The tune is amazing. Thank you so much for coming in, Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Ah, thank you Dan very much.
Digital Spy update about the 4th album
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has revealed the tracklisting for her upcoming album. Straight To The Heart, due for release in July, will feature 12 tracks including the singer's Freemasons collaboration, 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)', and her new single 'Bittersweet'.
In an interview with Gay Times, Ellis-Bextor confirmed that songwriters and producers who have worked on the album include Calvin Harris, Richard X, Hannah Robinson, Cathy Dennis, Greg Kurstin, Ed Harcourt and Joe Mount.
She also revealed that one track, 'Dial My Number', was inspired by a "text stalker" she has, while another, 'Homewrecker', is about "girls who flirt with your boyfriend right under your nose, which is very annoying".
Ellis-Bextor, 31, has released three previous studio albums since launching her solo career in 2000, notching up seven top ten hits with tracks including 'Groovejet (If This Is Love)', 'Murder On The Dancefloor' and 'Catch You'.
The Straight To The Heart tracklisting in full:
Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)
Bittersweet
Off & On
Revolution
Starlight
Magic
Synchronised
Cut Through The Heart
Dial My Number
Homewrecker
Under Your Touch
Scene
SOURCE: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a215891/ellis-bextor-reveals-album-tracklisting.html
BLOODY HELL THE ARMIN TRACK IS MISSING. After all that hype. There better be an explanation for this, and that better have "UK BONUS TRACK" written all over it.
EDIT - Sophie tweeted saying "armin track is on the album x"... sorry for all that drama folks. I was really looking forward to hearing that song. And he's the world's #1 DJ. That's some goodwill that Sophie can cash on, in my opinion.
In an interview with Gay Times, Ellis-Bextor confirmed that songwriters and producers who have worked on the album include Calvin Harris, Richard X, Hannah Robinson, Cathy Dennis, Greg Kurstin, Ed Harcourt and Joe Mount.
She also revealed that one track, 'Dial My Number', was inspired by a "text stalker" she has, while another, 'Homewrecker', is about "girls who flirt with your boyfriend right under your nose, which is very annoying".
Ellis-Bextor, 31, has released three previous studio albums since launching her solo career in 2000, notching up seven top ten hits with tracks including 'Groovejet (If This Is Love)', 'Murder On The Dancefloor' and 'Catch You'.
The Straight To The Heart tracklisting in full:
Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)
Bittersweet
Off & On
Revolution
Starlight
Magic
Synchronised
Cut Through The Heart
Dial My Number
Homewrecker
Under Your Touch
Scene
SOURCE: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a215891/ellis-bextor-reveals-album-tracklisting.html
BLOODY HELL THE ARMIN TRACK IS MISSING. After all that hype. There better be an explanation for this, and that better have "UK BONUS TRACK" written all over it.
EDIT - Sophie tweeted saying "armin track is on the album x"... sorry for all that drama folks. I was really looking forward to hearing that song. And he's the world's #1 DJ. That's some goodwill that Sophie can cash on, in my opinion.
Sophie's king-size aspirations
I know we don't have the 4th record in our hands yet, but is it wrong to be totally excited about her 5th record already? Ever since Sophie said that she might change her direction, i've been hoping that she embraces her indie side again. Well, she might actually do that...read along -
I know i'm going to be happy. But i'm not too sure if the rest of her fans would accept it. I know theaudience is still very unpopular among majority of her fans. Frankly, i don't know why. She's an indie kid, she should do some indie, if you ask me.
Anyway, Sophie talked about her wishlist on The Album Chart Show. I hope she has Kaiser Chiefs and Pet Shop Boys in there too. I'd definitely like to see an album half filled with indie songs and the other half with her famous dance-pop songs. I'd love it if she collaborated with Scissor Sisters, Freemasons (again), Groove Armada, Pet Shop Boys and Daft Punk for the dance-pop stuff. She should work with Kaiser Chiefs, Kish Mauve, The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Alex James (again) on some indie songs. Oooh... how wonderful would that be!?
SOURCE:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/sophie-ellisbextors-kingsize-aspirations_1139873
Sophie Ellis-Bextor would like to work with rock group Kings of
Leon or electronic rockers Daft Punk.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor wants to work with Kings of Leon.
The 31-year-old singer would like to try a new direction with her future
material and has a number of collaborations in mind including with rockers The
Killers and electric outfit Daft Punk. She said: "I'd love to work with
someone really different like the Killers or Kings of Leon. I think it would be
good to do something really in a completely different direction. Daft Punk would
be great fun as well."
However, she's keen to make sure she doesn't alienate her fans by
taking a complete U-turn in her style. She said: "I don't know if I want to
do something that's different just for the sake of it so it might be quite a
logical step away. But still, I don't want to exclude anybody. It has to make
sense. The sort of music I make is the sort of music I listen to. It's got to be
something I have the same passion for."
The 'Bittersweet' singer also admits she is scared about becoming
irrelevant with the rise new singers like Ellie Goulding and Florence and the
Machine. She told BANG Showbiz: "I think relevance is very much the sort of
fear you have. You want to keep being relevant to what's going on. If I'm
honest, that's the biggest fear when you work in an arena like pop. It's very
much about the here and now. But I'm very happy to be doing what I do. It's nice
to be wanted."
I know i'm going to be happy. But i'm not too sure if the rest of her fans would accept it. I know theaudience is still very unpopular among majority of her fans. Frankly, i don't know why. She's an indie kid, she should do some indie, if you ask me.
Anyway, Sophie talked about her wishlist on The Album Chart Show. I hope she has Kaiser Chiefs and Pet Shop Boys in there too. I'd definitely like to see an album half filled with indie songs and the other half with her famous dance-pop songs. I'd love it if she collaborated with Scissor Sisters, Freemasons (again), Groove Armada, Pet Shop Boys and Daft Punk for the dance-pop stuff. She should work with Kaiser Chiefs, Kish Mauve, The Killers, Kings Of Leon, Alex James (again) on some indie songs. Oooh... how wonderful would that be!?
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sophie interviewed at Splash FM
Sophie Ellis Bextor returns to the charts teaming up with Brighton producers The Freemasons, to bring us the foot stomping, summer anthem that is “Bittersweet”. Released on 3rd May it's the first single to be taken from her new album “Straight To The Heart” due to be released on 2nd August. Sophie will be announcing tour dates for later on this year, so keep listening for more on that! Anna B spoke to Sophie about her new tunes, her overweight cat and her favourite Youtube video.Listen to it here at the Splash website - http://www.splashfm.com/446
Or download the interview for your archiving here - http://www.mediafire.com/?tdemtjtgjtg
(thanks to Renzo for the heads up)
Here is Sophie's appearance on GMTV. They gave a clever little puff for the Bittersweet video. They also hope to get Sophie back into their studio next week to perform her new single.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7UJC2YZ9
(thanks to Eden for the heads up and Paul for the link)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
SEB.net Q&A - Radio and Video talk
from SEB.net
Hello Sophie, how are you?
I'm really good, thank you. I'm busy and everything seems to be going in the right direction. I've been on the road, doing bits of regional radio. Today is my trip down south. I've already done Scotland and the north of England.
How's that gone?
It's all been good. But this has been more fun because we've gone to the seaside and today's a really beautiful day. We left mine a little earlier than we needed to, it turned out, so we actually got to have breakfast in Brighton which has been really nice. It's a great way to start the day.
So you're in Brighton to do a bunch of different radio things?
Yeah, I'm doing a few different places. I've already been to Juice and Heart and then I'm going on to Worthing and Hampshire.
Do they tend to ask the same sorts of questions at these interviews?
They do, but I don't mind. I'm here to talk about all the new stuff so it's understandable.
Do you have stock answers for things?
Probably. But you have to make it sound like it's new and fresh!
What's the most common topic that tends to come up?
Probably where I've been for the last sort of while. Which is OK.
They don't still go on about your chart battle with Victoria Beckham or anything like that, do they?
No, that doesn't come up that often these days. I've also outgrown Blue Peter, finally, after ten years.
The Bittersweet video is obviously out. Are you pleased with it?
Yeah, I'm really pleased actually. I probably shouldn't have gone on so much about how it's made - with all the trampolining - because actually when you watch it, it looks other-worldly and I don't think you would necessarily know there had been a trampoline involved.
People seem to be liking it.
I think so. I'm glad I didn't get covered in paint for nothing. Ha ha!
But there isn't much hula hooping.
Just a tiny bit. But to be honest with you, I was a little bit disappointed because I'd practised hula hooping like crazy before the shoot, but then on the day they gave me a child-sized hula hoop instead of an adult-sized one. And it's actually a lot harder. So I couldn't hula hoop to the best of my ability.
Clearly that's poor hula hoop preparation on their part.
Well, I thought so. I thought, why can't I use the one that I'd been practicing with?
Did you have it with you?
Yeah.
And they flatly refused your hula hoop?
Well, it had to be one they could put loads of powder inside so that when I hula hooped with it, all the powder could come billowing out. Very disappointing.
It's a hula hooping basic that the smaller they are the harder it is.
Completely. Tell that to them, they didn't understand.
They'll be telling are their friends you're a hula hoop diva.
Exactly! Put that on my grave, I don't care!
Hello Sophie, how are you?
I'm really good, thank you. I'm busy and everything seems to be going in the right direction. I've been on the road, doing bits of regional radio. Today is my trip down south. I've already done Scotland and the north of England.
How's that gone?
It's all been good. But this has been more fun because we've gone to the seaside and today's a really beautiful day. We left mine a little earlier than we needed to, it turned out, so we actually got to have breakfast in Brighton which has been really nice. It's a great way to start the day.
So you're in Brighton to do a bunch of different radio things?
Yeah, I'm doing a few different places. I've already been to Juice and Heart and then I'm going on to Worthing and Hampshire.
Do they tend to ask the same sorts of questions at these interviews?
They do, but I don't mind. I'm here to talk about all the new stuff so it's understandable.
Do you have stock answers for things?
Probably. But you have to make it sound like it's new and fresh!
What's the most common topic that tends to come up?
Probably where I've been for the last sort of while. Which is OK.
They don't still go on about your chart battle with Victoria Beckham or anything like that, do they?
No, that doesn't come up that often these days. I've also outgrown Blue Peter, finally, after ten years.
The Bittersweet video is obviously out. Are you pleased with it?
Yeah, I'm really pleased actually. I probably shouldn't have gone on so much about how it's made - with all the trampolining - because actually when you watch it, it looks other-worldly and I don't think you would necessarily know there had been a trampoline involved.
People seem to be liking it.
I think so. I'm glad I didn't get covered in paint for nothing. Ha ha!
But there isn't much hula hooping.
Just a tiny bit. But to be honest with you, I was a little bit disappointed because I'd practised hula hooping like crazy before the shoot, but then on the day they gave me a child-sized hula hoop instead of an adult-sized one. And it's actually a lot harder. So I couldn't hula hoop to the best of my ability.
Clearly that's poor hula hoop preparation on their part.
Well, I thought so. I thought, why can't I use the one that I'd been practicing with?
Did you have it with you?
Yeah.
And they flatly refused your hula hoop?
Well, it had to be one they could put loads of powder inside so that when I hula hooped with it, all the powder could come billowing out. Very disappointing.
It's a hula hooping basic that the smaller they are the harder it is.
Completely. Tell that to them, they didn't understand.
They'll be telling are their friends you're a hula hoop diva.
Exactly! Put that on my grave, I don't care!
Monday, April 19, 2010
MTV Dance with Sophie
http://www.mtv.co.uk/tv-guide#mtv-dance
...Summer Dance Anthems. Summer is almost upon us and things are hotting up as Sophie Ellis Bextor introduces her favourite Summer dance anthems!
15:00, Saturday 24/04/2010
Can somebody record this please?
Also, i hope you all are still voting for Bittersweet - http://www.mtv.co.uk/channels/mtv-dance/chart
Keep voting!
...Summer Dance Anthems. Summer is almost upon us and things are hotting up as Sophie Ellis Bextor introduces her favourite Summer dance anthems!
15:00, Saturday 24/04/2010
Can somebody record this please?
Also, i hope you all are still voting for Bittersweet - http://www.mtv.co.uk/channels/mtv-dance/chart
Keep voting!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Video clip of Sophie performing Can't Fight This Feeling live
Sophie performed Can't Fight This Feeling live on Fun Radio, France. They posted the video recording of the performance on their site.
(Thanks to Paul for providing us with the avi file)
CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING (LIVE FROM FUN RADIO STUDIO) - CLICK HERE
Enjoy!
Originally posted here - http://www.funradio.fr/emission/1005988/libre-antenne.html?newsId=5938593050&filtre=video
(Thanks to Paul for providing us with the avi file)
CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING (LIVE FROM FUN RADIO STUDIO) - CLICK HERE
Enjoy!
Originally posted here - http://www.funradio.fr/emission/1005988/libre-antenne.html?newsId=5938593050&filtre=video
Thursday, April 15, 2010
More about Sophie's new track 'Homewrecker'
It's not another title for Not Giving Up On Love. Homewrecker (click here to check ASCAP) is co-written with Greg Kurstin and Lindy Robbins. Now i'm a little concerned about Not Giving Up... After all the nice things she said about the song, she left it off the tracklist? But then again, her recent tweet has left me in confusion. She tweeted Armin saying "just been listening to Not Giving Up On Love really loud and it sounds amazing. i love it! very excited." Are we getting UK Bonus tracks? Is it going to be a hidden track? Or is it going to be a b-side? I wish we get more information about the album soon.
And i must say, Under Your Touch is really really good. I've been singing the chorus all through, and i've only watched the performance twice. This album is going to be great, i just know it! Sophie tweeted, "is it wrong of me to say i love my album? because i do. big shout out to all the producers involved. your work sounds lush."
Here is the performance on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcjWeVNQVEA (thanks to Arrs)
And i must say, Under Your Touch is really really good. I've been singing the chorus all through, and i've only watched the performance twice. This album is going to be great, i just know it! Sophie tweeted, "is it wrong of me to say i love my album? because i do. big shout out to all the producers involved. your work sounds lush."
Here is the performance on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcjWeVNQVEA (thanks to Arrs)
By the way, here's part two of the Total Access interview with Simon Morykin - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JEPZ2VGF
Digital Spy Interview + Album Chart Show + confirmed tracklist
This is a no nonsense post. Enjoy.
DIGITAL SPY INTERVIEW
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/interviews/a214312/sophie-ellis-bextor.html
Following last year's summer smash with the Freemasons, 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)', Sophie Ellis-Bextor has proved that lightning can indeed strike twice by teaming up with the dance duo again from her cracking newbie 'Bittersweet'. In the middle of a promo tour for the single - and mere minutes before she was due on live telly - we managed to grab a quick chat with Mademoiselle E-B herself.
What's the response to the new single been like?
"Good, it all seems positive so far. I probably shouldn't say this but I think it sounds really good on the radio! I'm happy with how it's all shaping up."
What sort of chart position are you hoping for?
"God, I honestly haven't given it that much thought. I think whatever position means that the next single gets support and the album does OK. I think the more important thing is that it hangs around - a bit of longevity would be good, please!"
Have you decided what the next single's going to be?
"It's going to be 'Off And On', the track penned by Calvin Harris and Cathy Dennis."
You posted 'Off And On' on your MySpace page a while ago - are you worried that will affect sales?
"Nah, I don't think that's how things work anyway. I put 'Heartbreak' up a while before I released that too. Lily Allen put 'The Fear' up on her MySpace about a year before it came out and it still did really well. It's a new mix of the song too."
Any ideas on what the video will be like?
"Well, ages ago there was talk about 'Off And On' being the first single and I was approached by [director] Sophie Muller and she had some really good ideas for the video. I think it was something to do with having a fairground on my face! Hopefully we can revisit that idea because it sounds intriguing! I'd be foolish not to see what that's all about, wouldn't I?"
Is the album ready to go now?
"Yes, there's one song that needs a final tweek, and then we'll master it and sort out a running order, and then we're done. I think the next single will be out the last week of July and the album will be out the following week. Knowing me, that could all change, but that's what I've been told!"
There's an especially dancey song on your album called 'Revolution' - what's the story behind it?
"Well, I wrote it with Greg Kurstin and Cathy Dennis and it was actually the quickest song to write on my whole album. We started work at midday and Cathy had to leave by 4pm, and we even had time for some lunch outside in the garden, so it was probably about three hours' work. I think it sounds great - really fresh and quite heavy. The best bit is that it refers to 'Murder On The Dancefloor'."
Was the reference to 'Murder On The Dancefloor' intentional?
"Yes, very much so! It wasn't my idea - I think I'm too British to think of something like that - but Cathy suggested it and I really liked the idea. I think it's great if you've been around a while to reference yourself."
Do you think it will be a single in the future?
"I think so, maybe after 'Off And On'? The third single will either be 'Revolution' or a track called 'Starlight', which was produced by Richard X. I think that's quite a pretty song. I like all the songs on the album though, so I don't really mind what's a single."
What's your favourite track on the album?
"I like all the ones we've been talking about, but there's another song I did with Richard X called 'Magic' which I really like. I always know a song is a favourite when I start imagining myself on galloping horses - that often means I'm onto a winner! There's also a song called 'Dial My Number' which has a great electro vibe."
Would describe it as a dance album?
"Very much so - more so than any of my other albums. What I'm planning next though is an album that's really different. I think I need to do something different now and move on from the dance stuff. I might come back to it, but I think this album is a good way to bow out of the dance sound for now. I think it's finishing on a high."
Any ideas of what sound you might take on next?
"Yes, but I won't say just in case I change my mind! It's still couple of years away, but I still like thinking about these things now."
BITTERSWEET REMIX VIDEO (Watch @ DigitalSpy)
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/thesound/a214370/freemasons-remix-sophie-e-b.html
WATCH THE ALBUM CHART SHOW HERE
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9R08ZJ55 (Part One)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3RJSWF4Q (Part Two)
(many thanks to Paul)
CONFIRMED TRACKLIST
Gay Times Magazine, May 2010 - Sophie discusses each track. (someone please buy the mag and send in a transcript)
Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)
Bittersweet
Off & On
Revolution
Starlight
Magic
Synchronised
Cut Straight To The Heart
Dial My Number
Homewrecker
Under Your Touch
Scene
(hidesebastian from the PJ forums just posted that Not Giving Up On Love is a part of the album, no need to panic)
RANDOM:
She's done a duet with The Feeling on their upcoming album. It's called "Leave Me Out Of It". Oh and there's a bit of French on Under Your Touch. And the vocoder on Under Your Touch makes it sound like a Pet Shop Boys track - very good!
Here's what i hear, if anyone wants the lyrics:
UNDER YOUR TOUCH
Come, the night is waiting
I want to waste it on you
Voulez Vous?
Come, this invitation
Is only open to you
What you got to lose?
If i could be under your touch
Nothing would take me away
Cos i've been dreaming you up
Again and again
Baby i'm so ready for love
I'm so ready for love
Want to be under your touch
(Want to be under your touch)
You, you got me thinking
I'll break tradition for you
And make a move
Yeah you, my neon vision
My sole ambition to love
Let's make it true
If i could be under your touch
Nothing would take me away
Cos i've been dreaming you up
Again and again
Baby i'm so ready for love
I'm so ready for love
Want to be under your touch
(Want to be under your touch)
The way you've made me fall
It isn't logical
I had a craze and now all i want is you
So don't look and see
Come put your hands on me
On and on, nobody else will do
If i could be under your touch
Nothing would take me away
Cos i've been dreaming you up
Again and again
Baby i'm so ready for love
I'm so ready for love
Want to be under your touch
(Want to be under your touch)
DIGITAL SPY INTERVIEW
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/interviews/a214312/sophie-ellis-bextor.html
Following last year's summer smash with the Freemasons, 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)', Sophie Ellis-Bextor has proved that lightning can indeed strike twice by teaming up with the dance duo again from her cracking newbie 'Bittersweet'. In the middle of a promo tour for the single - and mere minutes before she was due on live telly - we managed to grab a quick chat with Mademoiselle E-B herself.
What's the response to the new single been like?
"Good, it all seems positive so far. I probably shouldn't say this but I think it sounds really good on the radio! I'm happy with how it's all shaping up."
What sort of chart position are you hoping for?
"God, I honestly haven't given it that much thought. I think whatever position means that the next single gets support and the album does OK. I think the more important thing is that it hangs around - a bit of longevity would be good, please!"
Have you decided what the next single's going to be?
"It's going to be 'Off And On', the track penned by Calvin Harris and Cathy Dennis."
You posted 'Off And On' on your MySpace page a while ago - are you worried that will affect sales?
"Nah, I don't think that's how things work anyway. I put 'Heartbreak' up a while before I released that too. Lily Allen put 'The Fear' up on her MySpace about a year before it came out and it still did really well. It's a new mix of the song too."
Any ideas on what the video will be like?
"Well, ages ago there was talk about 'Off And On' being the first single and I was approached by [director] Sophie Muller and she had some really good ideas for the video. I think it was something to do with having a fairground on my face! Hopefully we can revisit that idea because it sounds intriguing! I'd be foolish not to see what that's all about, wouldn't I?"
Is the album ready to go now?
"Yes, there's one song that needs a final tweek, and then we'll master it and sort out a running order, and then we're done. I think the next single will be out the last week of July and the album will be out the following week. Knowing me, that could all change, but that's what I've been told!"
There's an especially dancey song on your album called 'Revolution' - what's the story behind it?
"Well, I wrote it with Greg Kurstin and Cathy Dennis and it was actually the quickest song to write on my whole album. We started work at midday and Cathy had to leave by 4pm, and we even had time for some lunch outside in the garden, so it was probably about three hours' work. I think it sounds great - really fresh and quite heavy. The best bit is that it refers to 'Murder On The Dancefloor'."
Was the reference to 'Murder On The Dancefloor' intentional?
"Yes, very much so! It wasn't my idea - I think I'm too British to think of something like that - but Cathy suggested it and I really liked the idea. I think it's great if you've been around a while to reference yourself."
Do you think it will be a single in the future?
"I think so, maybe after 'Off And On'? The third single will either be 'Revolution' or a track called 'Starlight', which was produced by Richard X. I think that's quite a pretty song. I like all the songs on the album though, so I don't really mind what's a single."
What's your favourite track on the album?
"I like all the ones we've been talking about, but there's another song I did with Richard X called 'Magic' which I really like. I always know a song is a favourite when I start imagining myself on galloping horses - that often means I'm onto a winner! There's also a song called 'Dial My Number' which has a great electro vibe."
Would describe it as a dance album?
"Very much so - more so than any of my other albums. What I'm planning next though is an album that's really different. I think I need to do something different now and move on from the dance stuff. I might come back to it, but I think this album is a good way to bow out of the dance sound for now. I think it's finishing on a high."
Any ideas of what sound you might take on next?
"Yes, but I won't say just in case I change my mind! It's still couple of years away, but I still like thinking about these things now."
BITTERSWEET REMIX VIDEO (Watch @ DigitalSpy)
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/thesound/a214370/freemasons-remix-sophie-e-b.html
WATCH THE ALBUM CHART SHOW HERE
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9R08ZJ55 (Part One)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3RJSWF4Q (Part Two)
(many thanks to Paul)
CONFIRMED TRACKLIST
Gay Times Magazine, May 2010 - Sophie discusses each track. (someone please buy the mag and send in a transcript)
Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)
Bittersweet
Off & On
Revolution
Starlight
Magic
Synchronised
Cut Straight To The Heart
Dial My Number
Homewrecker
Under Your Touch
Scene
(hidesebastian from the PJ forums just posted that Not Giving Up On Love is a part of the album, no need to panic)
RANDOM:
She's done a duet with The Feeling on their upcoming album. It's called "Leave Me Out Of It". Oh and there's a bit of French on Under Your Touch. And the vocoder on Under Your Touch makes it sound like a Pet Shop Boys track - very good!
Here's what i hear, if anyone wants the lyrics:
UNDER YOUR TOUCH
Come, the night is waiting
I want to waste it on you
Voulez Vous?
Come, this invitation
Is only open to you
What you got to lose?
If i could be under your touch
Nothing would take me away
Cos i've been dreaming you up
Again and again
Baby i'm so ready for love
I'm so ready for love
Want to be under your touch
(Want to be under your touch)
You, you got me thinking
I'll break tradition for you
And make a move
Yeah you, my neon vision
My sole ambition to love
Let's make it true
If i could be under your touch
Nothing would take me away
Cos i've been dreaming you up
Again and again
Baby i'm so ready for love
I'm so ready for love
Want to be under your touch
(Want to be under your touch)
The way you've made me fall
It isn't logical
I had a craze and now all i want is you
So don't look and see
Come put your hands on me
On and on, nobody else will do
If i could be under your touch
Nothing would take me away
Cos i've been dreaming you up
Again and again
Baby i'm so ready for love
I'm so ready for love
Want to be under your touch
(Want to be under your touch)
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